Sermon 17 November 1599, Apology
THE APOLOGIE OR DEFENCE of the Church and Common-wealth of England for their annuall celebration of Q. Elizabeths Coronation day the 17. of Novemb.
HAving in the Sermon or treatiſe going before, ſufficiētly (as I take it) diſcourſed of each point naturally iſſuing out of the generall fountaine of the text, wherin the Queene of the South hit holy Peregrination is ſummarily and perſpicuouſly deſcribed by our Saviour,Mat. 12.42. Luk. 11.31. inſtanced in, & inferred by him in the way of compariſon to convince the Iews of vngrateful obſtinacy, obſtinate infidelity, & wilful refuſall of the light of the bleſſed Goſpel by his miniſtery revealed vntounto thē: And having at large in the preface of this booke yeelded ſome reaſons whereby I rather bound my ſelfe to this text then any other at that time, annexing therevnto by way of illation ſuch matter as I tooke to be pertinent to my purpoſe, & convenient for the preſent occaſion: It remaineth now that to theſe heads before ſpecified, I ſhould adioine in manner of Apology a diſcourſe of a controverſie ſomwhat appendent and belonging to the matter antecedent. In which Apologie I hauehave vndertaken, as farre forth as God ſhal enable me, to defend, that the celebration of the feſtivitie in theſe times, yearely ſolemnized the ſeventeenth of November by the people of this Land, to Gods glory, and her Maieſties comforte, is an office in it ſelfe ſacred, religious, no waies repugnaunt to Gods holy worde, and the conſtitutions of the holy Catholique Church: And that the triumphs & the ſignes of ioye that day performed by the faithfull and dutifull ſubiectes of this Realme, and ſuch orderly diſportes, are things in their owne nature laudable, commendable, and in no ſort diſagreeable with the actions of any wel governed ſtate, or wel ruled common-wealth. I hauehave vndertaken the handling of this argument by the aſſiſtaunce of Gods holy ſpirit vponupon theſe reaſons.
Firſt becauſe this argument ſuiteth my former treatiſe, & is,Odyſſ 9. as I may tearme it with the Greeke Poet, foreign a fragment though not naturally iſſuing out of it, yet neceſſarily by the way of conſequence ioined with it.
Next in this treatiſe all faithful ſubiects of this Realme may behold as in a glaſſe the good fruites that due obedience vſually bringeth forth, to their great peace and comfort, and to the good examples of many ages following: & what offices of benevolence all true ſubiectes owe by the law of God and man, to their princes, ſuperiours & governours,Rom. 13. who beare the ſword by Gods ordinaunce for their defence, vnderunder whoſe ſhadow they are ſhrowded, in whoſe branches they builde, vnderunder whoſe patronage by Gods holy inſtitution they are ſhielded.
Thirdly, for that I hope by the plaine and effectuall handling of this preſent argument, that many of her Maieſties ſubiectes which hauehave beene contrarily perſwaded by certaine ſeditious ſpirits privily lurking in this Realm, wil vponupon the iuſt view & diligent reading of this diſcourſe be reclaimed from then former miſconceipts which they had before vnadviſedly made approbation of.
Fourthly for that in mine opinion, the ſincere clearing of theſe accuſations contained in this treatiſe ex officio appertaine to him vpō whom the office of preaching the 17. of November at Paules is by authority impoſed.
Laſtly, for that the bloſſomes of this Apologie ſhall I hope in ſhort time by Gods grace yeeld ſome fruits of gratitude, not altogither vnſeemly to preſent her Highneſſe with all, by whoſe honorable ſtipend I hauehave beene relieved theſe many yeares in this famous Vniverſity, and by whoſe magnificence when I ſerved the Church of God in the Netherland being Chaplaine to the Earle of Leceiſter his Honor, I was graciouſly rewarded.
Moreover I doe beſeech all that ſhall reade this treatiſe, not raſhly to condēne at the firſt ſight any thing that ſhall be inferred in the diſcourſe, and ſhall concerne this preſent argument; this treatiſe being meere Apologetical, indited of no gal of bitternes, but only penned to this ende to iuſtifie the Church and common-wealth of England in the action of the ſolemnizatiō vſed yearly in theſe times the 17. of November, and to ſatiſfie them that hauehave beene contrarily perſwaded by ſuch as hauehave not wiſhed well vntounto the ſtate of Religion now publiquely profeſſed in this Realme, and to the bleſſed peace which through Gods mercy England hath long enioied, & doth yet enioy, (and God grant it may long enioy) vnderunder the happy regiment of Queene Elizabeth: deſiring them, that hauehave been otherwiſe inſtructed,Tertul. Apolog. c. 1. with Tertullian that adverſariorum infeſtatio non obſtruat viam defenſion…. But that …ceat veritati vel occulta via tacitarum literarum ad aures ipſorum per venire, and that they would vouchſafe to imitate herein the commendable example of Foelix the Deputy though otherwiſe a corrupt Iudge,Act …3. who would not heare S. Paule his moſt iuſt defence, neither releaſe him vppon the teſtimoniall contained in Claudius Lyſias his Epiſtle, vntill hee had heard what his adverſaries could ſpeake againſt him.
I deſire thee to obſerue herein alſo (Gentle Reader) that in this tract my chiefe drift and intent is only to anſwere ſuch accuſatiōs as are obiected againſt our celebrities now yearly vſed the 17. of November in manner & forme before ſpecified. But yet becauſe the authours of this accuſatiō hauehave ſo cunningly framed their ſpeeches that it is vnpoſſible almoſt to defend the ſolemnes of the Coronation without mention alſo of our thankfulneſſe to God in remembring the day of the Queenes Nativity, very willingly in defending the one I acknowledge my ſelfe no leſſe armed to defend the other. And although I mention only, or for the moſt part the day of the Coronation, yet vnderſtande that the very ſame obiections are for the moſt part of that nature, that oppugning the one, they doe oppugne the other: thoſe accuſations I meane that they alleadge againſt the Coronation day, fitted by them artificially, doe ſerue to oppugne alſo our celebrities vſed for Queene Elizabeths birth-day: imitating herein the skil of experimented Canoniers, who although they take their aime directly againſt one parte of an oppoſite rampire of ſtone which they batter, doe not only ſtrike that parte which they fixe their eies vppon in the diſcharge, but immediately ſtrike the directly adverſe part alſo by no leſſe violence in repercuſſion and rebound: imitating, I ſaie, herein Echoes, in which one voice doth yeeld two ſoūds, and thoſe braſen Cymbals in the temple of Iupiter Dodonaeus, Chil. Eraſ. Cent. 1. & Suidas.which were ſo artificially contrived, that if one ranke were touched, the other alſo ſounded: reſembling likewiſe the ſound of the Lute, which if you preſſe in the necke with the left hand, the right hand is enforced to ſtrike the ſame ſtrings in the belly of the Lute. And that I may the better keepe my ſelfe within compaſſe, in few words I wil lay downe the ſtate of the Controverſie, that in it you may ſee the ſubſtance of the matters in this argumente to be diſcuſſed.