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did the contrary. The wicked judge Pilate faid to Chrift, Knoweft thou not, that I have power to crucify thee, and have power alfo to loofe thee? Jefus answered, Thou couldeft have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above. Whereby Chrift taught us plainly, that even the wicked rulers have their power and authority from God; and therefore it is not lawful for their fubjects to withstand them, although they abuse their power: much less then is it lawful for fubjects to withstand their godly and Chriftian princes, which do not abuse their authority, but ufe the fame to God's glory, and to the profit and commodity of God's people. The holy Apoftle Peter commandeth fervants to be obedient to their masters, not only if they be 1 Pet. ii. good and gentle, but also if they be evil and froward: affirming, that the vocation and calling of God's people is to be patient, and of the fuffering fide. And there he bringeth in the patience of our Saviour Chrift, to perfuade obedience to governors, yea, although they be wicked and wrong-doers. But let us now hear St. Peter himself fpeak, for his words certify beft our confcience: thus he uttereth them in his firft Epiftle; Servants, obey your masters 1 Pet. ii. with fear, not only if they be good and gentle, but also if they be froward. For it is thank-worthy, if a man for confcience toward God endureth grief, and fuffer wrong undeferved: for what praife is it, when ye be beaten for your faults, if ye take it patiently? But when ye do well, if you then fuffer wrong, and take it patiently, then is there caufe to have thank of God; for bereunto verily were ye called: for fo did Chrift fuffer for us, leaving us an example, that we fhould follow his steps. All these be the very words of St. Peter. Holy David alfo teacheth us a good leffon in this behalf, who was many Kings times moft cruelly and wrongfully perfecuted of king Sauf, xviii, xix, and many times alío put in jeopardy and danger of his life by king Saul and his people: yet he neither withfood, neither ufed any force or violence against king Saul, his mortal and deadly enemy; but did ever to his liege lord and mafter king Saul, moft true, moft diligent, and moft faithful service. Infomuch, that when the Lord God had given king Saul into David's hands in his own cave, he would not hurt him, when he might, without all bodily peril, eafily have flain him: no, he would not fuffer any of his fervants once to lay their hand upon king Saul, but prayed to God on this wife: Lord, keep me from doing that thing unto my mafter the Lord's anointed; keep me that I lay not my hand upon him, feeing he is anointed of the Lord: for as truly as the Lord liveth, (except the

Lord

Lord fmite him, or except his day come, or that he go down to war, and perith in battle,) the Lord be merciful unto me, that I lay not my hands upon the Lord's anointed. And that David might have killed his enemy king Saul, it is evidently proved in the firft Book of the Kings, both by the cutting off the lap of Saul's garment, and alfo by plain confeffion of king Saul. Alfo another time, as is mentioned in the fame book, when the moft unmerciful and moft unkind king Saul did perfecute poor David; God did again give king Saul into David's hands, by catting of king Saul and his whole army into a dead fleep; fo that David and one Abifai with him came in the night into Saul's hoft, where Saul lay fleeping, and his fpear ftuck in the ground at his head. Then faid Abifai unto David, God bath delivered thine enemy into thine hands at this time: now therefore let me Jmite him once with my fpear to the earth, and I will not mite him again the fecond time; meaning thereby to have killed him with one ftroke, and to have made him fure for ever. And David anfwered and faid to Abifai, Delroy him not; for who can lay his hands on the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless? And David faid furthermore, As fure as the Lord liveth, the Lord fball fmite him, or bis day fhall come to die, or be fhall defcend, or go down into battle, and there perish: the Lord keep me from laying my hands upon the Lord's anointed. But take thou now the Spear that is at his head, and the crufe of water, and let us go: and fo he did. Here is evidently proved, that we may not withstand nor in any wife hurt an anointed king, which is God's lieutenant, vicegerent, and highest miAn objec- nifter in that country where he is king. But peradventure fome here would fay, that David in his own defence might have killed king Saul lawfully, and with a fafe confcience. An antwer. But holy David did know that he might in no wife withftand, hurt, or kill his fovereign lord and king: he did know that he was but king Saul's fubject, though he were in great favour with God, and his enemy king Saul out of God's favour. Therefore though he were never fo much provoked, yet he refufed utterly to hurt the Lord's anointed. He durft not, for offending God and his own confcience, (although he had occafion and opportunity) once lay his hands upon God's high officer the king, whom he did know to be a perfon referved and kept (for his office fake) only to God's punishment and judgment: therefore he prayeth fo oft and fo earneftly, that he lay not his hands upon the Lord's anointed. And by these two examples, holy David (being named in Scripture a man

tion.

Pfal.

lxxxviii.

after

after God's own heart) giveth a general rule and leffon to all fubjects in the world, not to withstand their liege lord and king; not to take a fword by their private authority againft their king, God's anointed, who only beareth the fword by God's authority, for the maintenance of the good, and for the punishment of the evil; who only by God's law hath the ufe of the fword 'at his command, and alfo hath all power, jurifdiction, regiment, correction, and punishment, as fupreme governor of all his realms and dominions, and that even by the authority of God, and by God's ordinances. Yet another notable story and doctrine is in the fecond Book of the Kings, that maketh alfo for this purpose. When an Amalekite, by king Saul's 2 Kings i. own confent and commandment, had killed king Saul, he went to David, fuppofing to have had great thanks for his meffage, that he had killed David's deadly enemy; and therefore he made great hafte to tell to David the chance, bringing with him king Saul's crown that was upon his head, and his bracelet that was upon his arm, to perfuade his tidings to be true. But godly David was fo far from rejoicing at this news, that immediately and forthwith he rent his clothes off his back, he mourned and wept, and faid to the meffenger, How is it that thou wast not afraid to lay thy bands on the Lord's anointed to deflroy him? And by and by David made one of his fervants to kill the meffenger, faying, Thy blood be on thine own head, for thine own mouth bath teftified and witneffed against thee, granting that thou haft flain the Lord's anointed. Thefe examples being fo manifeft and evident, it is an intolerable ignorance, madnefs, and wickednefs, for fubjects to make any murmuring, rebellion, refiftance, or withstanding, commotion, or infurrection against their most dear and moft dread fovereign lord and king, ordained and appointed of God's goodness for their commodity, peace, and quietnefs. Yet let us believe undoubtedly, good Chriftian people, that we may not obey kings, magifirates, or any other, (though they be our own fathers) if they would command us to do any thing contrary to God's commandments. In fuch a cafe we ought to lay with the Apoftle, We must rather obey God than man. But nevertheless, in Aas vii. that cafe we may not in any wife withstand violently, or rebel against rulers, or make any infurrection, fedition, or tumults, either by force of arms, or otherwife, against the anointed of the Lord, or any of his officers: but we must in fuch cafe patiently fuffer all wrongs, and injuries, referring the judgment of our caufe only to God. Let us fear

the

2 Kings xviii,

the terrible punishment of Almighty God against traitors and rebellious perfons, by the example of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, who repined and grudged against God's magiftrates and officers, and therefore the earth opened, and Jallowed them up alive. Others, for their wicked murmuring and rebellion, were by a fudden fire, fent of God, utterly confumed; others, for their froward behaviour to their rulers and governors, God's minifters, were fuddenly ftricken with a foul leprofy; others were ftinged to death, with wonderful firange fiery ferpents; others were fore plagued, fo that there were killed in one day the number of fourteen thoufand and feven hundred, for rebellion against them whom God had appointed to be in authority. Abfalom alfo, rebelling againft his father king David, was punished with a strange and notable death.

The Third Part of the Sermon of Obedience.

YE

E have heard before, in this Sermon of good Order and Obedience, manifeftly proved both by the Scriptures and examples, that all fubjects are bound to obey their magiftrates, and for no caufe to refift, or withstand, or rebel, or make any fedition against them, yea, although they be wicked men. And let no man think that he can efcape unpunished that committeth treafon, confpiracy, or rebellion against his fovereign lord the king, though he commit the fame never fo fecretly, either in thought, word, or deed, never fo privily, in his privy chamber by himfelf, or openly communicating and confulting with others. For treafon will not be hid, treafon will out at the length; God will have that moft detefiable vice both opened and punished, for that it is fo directly against his ordinance, and against his high principal judge and anointed on earth. The violence and injury that is committed against authority is committed againft God, the commonweal, and the whole realm, which God will have known, and condignly or worthily punished one way or other; for it is notably written of the Wife Man in Scripture, in the Ecclef, . Book called Ecclefiaftes: Wifh the king no evil in thy thought, nor speak no burt of him in thy privy chamber: for the bird of the air fhall betray thy voice, and with her feathers shall bewray thy words. Thefe leftons and examples are written for our learning; therefore let us all fear the most deteftable vice of rebellion; ever knowing and remembering, that he that refifteth or withstandeth common authority, refifteth

refifteth or withstandeth God and his ordinance, as it may be proved by many other places of holy Scripture. And here let us take heed, that we understand not thefe or fuch other like places (which fo ftraitly command obedience to fuperiors, and fo ftraitly punished rebellion and difobedi ence to the fame) to be meant in any condition of the pretenced or coloured power of the Bishop of Rome. For truly the Scripture of God alloweth no fuch ufurped power, full of enormities, abufions, and blafphemies: but the true meaning of thefe and fuch places be to extol and fet forth God's true ordinance, and the authority of God's anointed kings, and of their officers appointed under them. And concerning the ufurped power of the Bishop of Rome, which he most wrongfully challengeth as the fucceffor of Chrift and Peter; we may eafily perceive how falfe, feigned, and forged it is, not only in that it hath no fufficient ground in holy Scripture, but alfo by the fruits and doctrine thereof. For our Saviour Chrift and St. Peter teach most earneftly and agreeably obedience to kings, as to the chief and fupreme rulers in this world, next under God: but the Bishop of Rome teacheth, that they that are under him are free from all burdens and charges of the commonwealth, and obedience toward their prince, moft clearly against Christ's doctrine and St. Peter's. He ought therefore rather to be called Antichrift, and the fucceffor of the Scribes and Pharifees, than Chrift's vicar, or St. Peter's fucceffor; feeing that not only in this point, but alfo in other weighty matters of Chriftian religion, in matters of remiffion and forgivenefs of fins, and of falvation, he teacheth fo directly againft both St. Peter, and againft our Saviour Chrift, who not only taught obedience to kings, but also practifed obedience in their converfation and living for we read that they both paid tribute to the king and alfo we read, that the holy Virgin Mary, Matt. xvii. mother to our Saviour Chrift, and Jofeph, who was taken for his father, at the Emperor's commandment, went to the Luke ii. city of David, named Bethlehem, to be taxed among other, and to declare their obedience to the magiftrates, for God's ordinances fake. And here let us not forget the blessed Virgin Mary's obedience: for although the was highly in God's favour, and Chrift's natural mother, and was alfo great with child at the fame time, and fo nigh her travail, that fhe was delivered in her journey, yet the gladly without any excufe or grudging (for confcience fake) did take that cold and foul winter journey, being in the mean feason so poor that she lay in a stable, and there the was deli