confidence in princes whom they have provoked, lest | held not conversation with such as are: let them be
they be added to the examples of those that miserably
have tasted the event. Stories can inform them how
Christiern the IId, king of Denmark, not much above
a hundred years past, driven out by his subjects, and
received again upon new oaths and conditions, broke
through them all to his most bloody revenge; slaying
his chief opposers, when he saw his time, both them
and their children, invited to a feast for that purpose.
How Maximilian dealt with those of Bruges, though
by mediation of the German princes reconciled to them
by solemn and public writings drawn and sealed.
How the massacre at Paris was the effect of that cre-
dulous peace, which the French protestants made with
Charles the IX, their king: and that the main visible
cause, which to this day hath saved the Netherlands
from utter ruin, was their final not believing the per-
fidious cruelty, which as a constant maxim of state
hath been used by the Spanish kings on their subjects
that have taken arms, and after trusted them; as no
latter age but can testify, heretofore in Belgia itself,
and this very year in Naples. And to conclude with
one past exception, though far more ancient, David,
whose sanctified prudence might be alone sufficient,
not to warrant us only, but to instruct us, when once
he had taken arms, never after that trusted Saul, though
with tears and much relenting he twice promised not
to burt him. These instances, few of many, might ad-
monish them, both English and Scotch, not to let their
own ends, and the driving on of a faction, betray them
blindly into the snare of those enemies, whose revenge
looks on them as the men who first begun, fomented,
and carried on beyond the cure of any sound or safe ac-
commodation, all the evil which hath since unavoid
ably befallen them and their king.

sorry, that, being called to assemble about reforming
the church, they fell to progging and soliciting the
parliament, though they had renounced the name of
priests, for a new settling of their tithes and oblations;
and double-lined themselves with spiritual places of
commodity beyond the possible discharge of their duty.
Let them assemble in consistory with their elders and
deacons, according to ancient ecclesiastical rule, to the
preserving of church discipline, each in his several
charge, and not a pack of clergymen by themselves to
belly-cheer in their presumptuous Sion, or to promote
designs, abuse and gull the simple laity, and stir up
tumult, as the prelates did, for the maintenance of their
pride and avarice. These things if they observe, and
wait with patience, no doubt but all things will go well
without their importunities or exclamations: and the
printed letters, which they send subscribed with the
ostentation of great characters and little moment, would
be more considerable than now they are. But if they
be the ministers of mammon instead of Christ, and
scandalize his church with the filthy love of gain, as-
piring also to sit the closest and the heaviest of all ty-
rants upon the conscience, and fall notoriously into the
same sins, whereof so lately and so loud they accused
the prelates; as God rooted out those wicked ones im-
mediately before, so will he root out them their imita-
tors: and to vindicate his own glory and religion, will
uncover their hypocrisy to the open world; and visit
upon their own heads that" curse ye Meroz,” the very
motto of their pulpits, wherewith so frequently, not as
Meroz, but more like atheists, they have blasphemed
the vengeance of God, and traduced the zeal of his
people.

I have something also to the divines, though brief to what were needful; not to be disturbers of the civil affairs, being in hands better able and more belonging to manage them; but to study harder, and to attend the office of good pastors, knowing that he, whose flock is least among them, hath a dreadful charge, not performed by mounting twice into the chair with a formal preachment huddled up at the odd hours of a whole lazy week, but by incessant pains and watching in season and out of season, from house to house, over the souls of whom they have to feed. Which if they ever well considered, how little leisure would they find, to be the most pragmatical sidesmen of every popular tumult and sedition! And all this while are to learn what the true end and reason is of the gospel which they teach; and what a world it differs from the censorious and supercilious lording over conscience. It would be good also they lived so as might persuade the people they hated covetousness, which, worse than heresy, is idolatry; hated pluralities, and all kind of simony; left rambling from benefice to benefice, like ravenous wolves seeking where they may devour the biggest. Of which if some, well and warmly seated from the beginning, be not guilty, it were good they

All that follows, to the end of this tract, was left out not only in the edition printed 1733, in 2 vols. folio, but in that of Mr. Toland, who first

*And that they be not what they go for, true ministers of the protestant doctrine, taught by those abroad, famous and religious men, who first reformed the church, or by those no less zealous, who withstood corruption and the bishops here at home, branded with the name of puritans and nonconformists, we shall abound with testimonies to make appear: that men may yet more fully know the difference between protestant divines, and these pulpit-firebrands.

Luther. Lib. contra rusticos apud Sleidan. 1. 5.

'Is est hodie rerum status, &c. "Such is the state of things at this day, that men neither can, nor will, nor indeed ought to endure longer the domination of you princes."

'Neque vero Cæsarem, &c. "Neither is Cæsar to make war as head of christendom, protector of the church, defender of the faith; these titles being false and windy, and most kings being the greatest enemies to religion." Lib. de Bello contra Turcas, apud Sleid. 1. 14. What hinders then, but that we may depose or punish them?

These also are recited by Cochlaus in his Miscellanies to be the words of Luther, or some other eminent divine, then in Germany, when the protestants there

collected the author's works: how this omission arose, the reader will se in a note at the beginning of this tract, page 231.

entered into solemn covenant at Smalcaldia. Ut ora

FOT

iis obturem, &c. "That I may stop their mouths, the pope and emperor are not born, but elected, and may also be deposed as hath been often done." If Luther, or whoever else, thought so, he could not stay there; for the right of birth or succession can be no privilege in nature, to let a tyrant sit irremovable over a nation freeborn, without transforming that nation from the ashta 34 nature and condition of men born free, into natural, hereditary, and successive slaves. Therefore he saith further; "To displace and throw down this exactor, this Phalaris, this Nero, is a work pleasing to God;" namely, for being such a one: which is a moral reason. Shall then so slight a consideration as his hap to be ther de not elective simply, but by birth, which was a mere acincident, overthrow that which is moral, and make unpleasing to God that which otherwise had so well pleased him? Certainly not: for if the matter be rightly argued, election, much rather than chance, binds a man to content himself with what he suffers by his own bad da selection. Though indeed neither the one nor other love f binds any man, much less any people, to a necessary bearis sufferance of those wrongs and evils, which they have sability and strength enough given them to remove.

DRED

demons

are Br

load the emitele

'Zwinglius, tom. 1, articul. 42. the Quando vero perfidè, &c.

"When kings reign and perfidiously, and against the rule of Christ, they may according to the word of God be deposed."

bow it

comes to

pass,

'Mihi ergo compertum non est, &c. "I know not that kings reign by succession, unless it be with consent of the whole people." Ibid. "Quum vero consensu, &c. "But when by suffrage

and consent of the whole people, or the better part of

'Quorum est constituere magistratus, &c. "They

them, a tyrant is deposed or put to death, God is the whose part is to set up magistrates, may restrain them chief leader in that action." Ibid.

also from outrageous deeds, or pull them down; but
all magistrates are set up either by parliament or by
electors, or by other magistrates; they, therefore, who
exalted them may lawfully degrade and punish them."

Nunc cum tam tepidi sumus, &c.
"Now that we
are so lukewarm in upholding public justice, we endure
the vices of tyrants to reign now-a-days with impunity;
justly therefore by them we are trod underfoot, and
shall at length with them be punished. Yet ways are
het wanting by which tyrants may be removed, but
there wants public justice." Ibid.
Cavete vobis ô tyranni.

"Of the Scots divines I need not mention others than the famousest among them, Knox, and his fellow-labourers in the reformation of Scotland; whose large treatise on this subject defend the same opinion. To cite them sufficiently, were to insert their whole books, written purposely on this argument. "Knox's Appeal;" and to the reader; where he promises in a post

"Beware, ye tyrants! for now the gospel of Jesus Christ, spreading far and wide, will renew the lives of many to love innocence

and justice; which if ye also shall do, ye shall be hon-script, that the book which he intended to set forth,

sured. But if ye shall go on to rage and do violence,
ye shall be trampled on by all men." Ibid.
"Romanum imperium imó quodque, &c.
"When
the Roman empire, or any other, shall begin to oppress
religion, and we negligently suffer it, we are as much

called, "The Second Blast of the Trumpet," should
maintain more at large, that the same men most justly
may depose and punish him whom unadvisedly they
have elected, notwithstanding birth, succession, or any
oath of allegiance. Among our own divines, Cart-

guilty of religion so violated, as the oppressors them-wright and Fenner, two of the learnedest, may in rea

selves" Idem, Epist. ad Conrad. Somium.

son satisfy us what was held by the rest. Fenner in his book of Theology maintaining, that they who have power, that is to say, a parliament, may either by fair means or by force depose a tyrant, whom he defines to

be him, that wilfully breaks all or the principal conditions made between him and the commonwealth.

Fen. Sac. Theolog. c. 13. And Cartwright in a pre

fixed epistle testifies his approbation of the whole book.

Ment

have

the

Appear:

tioned in the title of kings, but that they may acknowledge no superior? In the mean while God, whose name they use to support themselves, they willingly would tread under their feet. It is therefore a mere cheat, when they boast to reign by the grace of God." 'Abdicant se terreni principes, &c. "Earthly princes depose themselves, while they rise against God, yea they are unworthy to be numbered among men rather it behoves us to spit upon their heads, than to obey them." On Dan. c. vi. v. 22.

'Bucer on Matth. c. v.

"

Si princeps superior, &c. "If a sovereign prince endeavour by arms to defend transgressors, to subvert those things which are taught in the word of God, they, who are in authority under him, ought first to dissuade him; if they prevail not, and that he now bears himself not as a prince but as an enemy, and seeks to violate privileges and rights granted to inferior magistrates or commonalties, it is the part of pious magistrates, imploring first the assistance of God, rather to try all ways and means, than to betray the flock of Christ to such an enemy of God: for they also are to this end ordained, that they may defend the people of God, and maintain those things which are good and just. For to have supreme power lessens not the evil committed by that power, but makes it the less tolerable, by how much the more generally hurtful. Then certainly the less tolerable, the more unpardonably to be punished."

'Of Peter Martyr we have spoke before.

'Paræus in Rom. xiii.

'These were the true protestant divines of England, our fathers in the faith we hold; this was their sense, who for so many years labouring under prelacy, through all storms and persecutions kept religion from extinguishing; and delivered it pure to us, till there arose a covetous and ambitious generation of divines, (for divines they call themselves!) who, feigning on a sudden to be new converts and proselytes from episcopacy, under which they had long temporised, opened their mouths at length, in shew against pluralities and prelacy, but with intent to swallow them down both; gorging themselves like harpies on those simonious places and preferments of their outed predecessors, as the quarry for which they hunted, not to plurality only but to multiplicity; for possessing which they had accused them their brethren, and aspiring under another title to the me authority and usurpation over the consciences of all men.

same

had acces

the

:

themselves, as is affirmed, p. 37, 38, might for his | For divines, if we observe them, have their postures, whole life, if they saw cause, take all power, authority, and their motions no less expertly, and with no less and the sword out of his hand, which in effect is to variety, than they that practise feats in the Artilleryunmagistrate him, why might they not, being then ground. Sometimes they seem furiously to march on, themselves the sole magistrates in force, proceed to and presently march counter; by and by they stand, punish him, who, being lawfully deprived of all things and then retreat; or if need be can face about, or that define a magistrate, can be now no magistrate to wheel in a whole body, with that cunning and dexbe degraded lower, but an offender to be punished. terity as is almost unperceivable; to wind themselves Lastly, whom they may defy, and meet in battle, why by shifting ground into places of more advantage. may they not as well prosecute by justice? For lawful And providence only must be the drum, providence the war is but the execution of justice against them who word of command, that calls them from above, but refuse law. Among whom if it be lawful (as they always to some larger benefice, or acts them into such deny not, p. 19, 20,) to slay the king himself coming or such figures and promotions. At their turns and in front at his own peril, wherefore may not justice do doublings no men readier, to the right, or to the left; that intendedly, which the chance of a defensive war for it is their turns which they serve chiefly; herein only might without blame have done casually, nay pur- singular, that with them there is no certain hand right posely, if there it find him among the rest? They ask, or left, but as their own commodity thinks best to call p. 19," By what rule of conscience or God, a state is it. But if there come a truth to be defended, which to bound to sacrifice religion, laws, and liberties, rather them and their interest of this world seems not so prothethan a prince defending such as subvert them, should fitable, straight these nimble motionists can find no come in hazard of his life." And I ask by what con- even legs to stand upon; and are no more of use to and science, or divinity, or law, or reason, a state is bound reformation thoroughly performed, and not superfito leave all these sacred concernments under a per- cially, or to the advancement of truth, (which among petual hazard and extremity of danger, rather than cut mortal men is always in her progress,) than if on a of a wicked prince, who sits plotting day and night to sudden they were struck maim and crippled. Which the subvert them. They tell us, that the law of nature the better to conceal, or the more to countenance by a justifies any man to defend himself, even against the general conformity to their own limping, they would em,viding in person: let them shew us then, why the same have Scripture, they would have reason also made to For law may not justify much more a state or whole people, halt with them for company; and would put us off to do justice upon him, against whom each private with impotent conclusions, lame and shorter than the man may lawfully defend himself; seeing all kind of premises. In this posture they seem to stand with justice done is a defence to good men, as well as a great zeal and confidence on the wall of Sion; but like orteshment to bad; and justice done upon a tyrant is Jebusites, not like Israelites, or Levites: blind also no more but the necessary self-defence of a whole comnwealth. To war upon a king, that his instruments bray be brought to condign punishment, and thereafter to punish them the instruments, and not to spare only, but to defend and honour him the author, is the strangest piece of justice to be called christian, and the strangest piece of reason to be called human, that by men of reverence and learning, as their style imports them, ever yet was vented. They maintain in the third and fourth section, that a judge or inferior magistrate is anointed of God, is his minister, hath the sword in his hand, is to be obeyed by St. Peter's rule, as well as the supreme, and without difference any where expressed and yet will have us fight against the supreme till he remove and punish the inferior magistrate (for such were greatest delinquents); whenas by Scripture, and by reason, e can no more authority be shewn to resist the one than the other; and altogether as much, to punish or depose the supreme himself, as to make war upon him, till be panish or deliver up his inferior magistrates, whom in the same terms we are commanded to obey, and not to resist. Thus while they, in a cautious line or two here and there stuffed in, are only verbal against the pulling down or punishing of tyrants, all the Scripture and the reason, which they bring, is in every leaf direct and rational, to infer it altogether as lawful, as to resist them. And yet in all their sermons, as hath by others been well noted, they went much further.

there

ed in p

d the pr

as well as lame, they discern not David from Adonibezec: but cry him up for the Lord's anointed, whose thumbs and great toes not long before they had cut off upon their pulpit cushions. Therefore he who is our only king, the root of David, and whose kingdom is eternal righteousness, with all those that war under him, whose happiness and final hopes are laid up in that only just and rightful kingdom, (which we pray incessantly may come soon, and in so praying wish hasty ruin and destruction to all, tyrants,) even he our immortal King, and all that love him, must of necessity have in abomination these blind and lame defenders of Jerusalem; as the soul of David hated them, and forbid them entrance into God's house, and his own. But as to those before them, which I cited first (and with an easy search, for many more might be added) as they there stand, without more in number, being the best and chief of protestant divines, we may follow them for faithful guides, and without doubting may receive them, as witnesses abundant of what we here affirm concerning tyrants. And indeed I find it generally the clear and positive determination of them all, (not prelatical, or of this late faction subprelatical,) who have written on this argument; that to do justice on a lawless king, is to a private man unlawful; to an inferior magistrate lawful: or if they were divided in opinion, yet greater than these here alleged, or of more authority in the church, there can be none produced.