A Pleasant New Nosegay, Flower 3
¶ The thyrde floure / called / Faythfull Obedience.
Philemon.
YE remēber, I am sure, y• name of your thyrde floure.
Theo.
Ye named it, Faythfull Obedience.
Phil.
Wel remembred. Hold here it is. Let eueryevery soule be obediēt to the pouers that beare rule For ther is no povver but of God. Rom. xiii. Sap. vi.The povvers that be, are ordened of GOD. Therfore vvho so euer resistethe the povver, resistethe the ordinaunce of God. And they that resist, shall gette to them selues damnacion. &c. Howe doth the aspecte of this flour please your eies?
Chri.
It is not only pleasaunte to the eye, but it also gyueth a goodly odoriferous & confortable sauour to so many as smel on it with purged noses. For it sheweth howe we ought to behaue our selues bothe towarde our moost redoubted Kynge, & all other rulers, which are sēt of hym vntounto ye prayse of them that do well,…. Pet. ii. but vntounto the punishement of them that do euell. They therfore yt are faythful subiectes must nedes reioyse ī this flour vnfaynedly.
Phil.
Wel sayd. Althogh neighbours I do not doubte, but that in your conscience, ye are assuredly perswaded, that the christen magistrates and hyghe powers do reygne, rule, & hauehave dominion, eueryevery one in theyr kyngedome, not of theyr owne tyrannye, cruell violence and extorte power, butte of the authorite of Gods worde, & the iust appoyntment of the hygh celestiall kyng for the great consolacion and cōforte of his people, and for the innumerable cōmodities of the Christen publique weale, which of theyr no lesse vertuous than ryghteous regiment & gouernaunce do ensue, yet for asmuch as in these our dayes there hauehave rysen vp wicked & vngodly spirites which deny the office of the magistrates & hyghe powers to be the ordinance of God,The Anabaptistes. and affirme yt it can by no meanes stonde with the Gospell of Christe. I wyll fyrst declare vntounto you & proue by ye holy scriptures, that the hygh powers are ordined of GOD,The contentes of thys floure. and that theyr office agre and in all poyntes consent with the moost holy worde of God, yea and that it is so necessary that withoute this regimēt and gouernaunce of the hyghe powers, no publique weale can remayne in safe estate, no frendshyppe canne be mayntayned,Mark well. no fayth can be regarded, no order cā be kepte, no propriete of goodes can be saued, no vertu can reigne, no tranquilite cā cō sist, nor ony goodnes continue, but all must nedes growe out of order, and, as they saye, go to hauocke, vntounto the great disquietnes and vtter destruccion of so many as dwell in suche wyld, rustical, brutall & beast lyke realme, wher no ciuilite of publique order in mundayne thynges is obserued. This once done, I wyll declare, what your duty is toward oure moost soueraygne LORDE the kyng, and all the other rulers that gouerne vnderunder his dominion, that ye maye lyue in thys mooste florysshynge Realme lyke true and faythfull subiectes with obedient hertes and that not onlye for feare but for cōsciēce sake, that by this meanes ye maye both acquyre & get to your selues quietnes & rest, leadynge an honeste and peasable lyfe withoute ony disturbance, and also be an exā ple to other, that they wt lyke obedience maye be subiecte & serue our moost christen Prince accordyng to the wyll of God.
To shewe that the authorite of ye magistrates & common officers is the ordinaūce of God, wherof maye I rather take a begynnynge, than of the publique weale of the Israelites? Whan God by his extent puissaunce & stretched oute power had delyuered the people of Israel oute of theyr miserable seruitude, wherwith they were greuously oppressed of the cruel and lyonlyke Tyraunt Pharao, dyd he not appoynte Moses to be theyr ruler,Exo. xiii. gyde, captaine & gouernour, that he hauynge the preeminence & rule ouer thē, should safe cōduite thē, rule & gouerne thē after the wyll of God? Woulde he hauehave done this, if it had bene a thīg vniust, vnmete & vnlawful? Would he not rather hauehave suffered his people to runne astraye as masterlesse hoūdes and as sheepe destitute of a sheppard or herdman without ony order? Dyd not Ietro also, a mā of great vertu,Exo. xviii. and replete with ye holy Ghoste, whan he sawe Moses alone take all the paynes in hearing the causes of the Israelites from mornynge vntyll euen, saye to hym these wordes? Looke out among al thy people suche as be wyse men, & that feare GOD, and suche as are true, and hate couetousnesse. Make these rulars ouer thē, some ouer thousandes, some ouer hūdredes, ouer fyftye, and ouer ten, that they maye alway iudge the people. Moses so dyd, & God approued his acte. Here se we other magistrates & rulers appoynted also to serue in the publique weale besydes ye heade officer, which they also beynge lawfully chosen and set in office, are approued before God.Deu. xxviii After Moses were not Iosue, Othoniel, Aioth, Sāgar, Delbora, Gedeon, Abimelech, Thola, Iayr, Iepte, Samson, & at the last Samuel, Iudges and rulers ouer the Israelites? Ware not all these approued to be ye iuste and lawful ministers of God. Dyd not Moyses also before his deathe shewe to the people of Israell, that afterwarde God should gyue them a kinge of the nomber of theyr brothers, which should be theyr rulers as all nacions hauehave thorowe out al the worlde? Do we not here learne that all Nacions at that tyme had kynges, & that kynges are appoynted & chosen by the eleccion of god? This is sufficient for ony faythful harte to proue, establysh, & corroborate the authoritie of Kynges and other ciuile magistrates. But lette vsus harken more to the Scripture.
1. Reg. viii.Whan Samuel waxed olde and coulde no more iudge the people for his age, he commēded that office to hys sonnes Ioel and Abia, whiche answered nothing to ye godly disposicions of theyr father, nether ordered the publique weale aryght, but lyued dissolutely, volupteously and wickedly, receauynge gyftes, & peruertinge iudgement, which caused the Elders & aunciēt of the people to assemble, & come vntounto Samuel, that he myght appoynt thē a kinge to rule ouer thē as all naciōs had. And dyd not Samuel shortely after at the appoyntment of God an noynte Saul kynge ouer▪ Israel?1. Reg. …. And frō that tyme in a manner vntyll the commynge of Christe were there not Kynges amonge the Israelites of theyr owne nacion accordynge to the prophecye of Iacob?Gen. xlix. & at Christes cōminge ded not kynge Herode although a straunger, reygne among ye Iewes? Do not al thes histories manifestly proue & approue ye offyce of kynges & other magistrates to be ye ordinaunce of God?
Euse.
Thos thynges are clerer than ye lyghte.
Phil.
I wyll nowe reherse vntounto you certen manifest sētences & open textes of the holy Scripture, which shall euidently establysshe ye authoryte of ye hygh powers, that Satan hymselfe shal not be able to preuayle agaynst it, moch lesse hys impes, which now of late are sprōg oute of his diabolicall syde.
Christo.
I pray you let vsus heare them.
Phil.
Salomon speakynge in the person of God,Pro. viii. sayth on this manner, thorowe me Kynges reygne, thorowe me Princes make iust lawes. Thorowe me Lordes beare rule, and all Iudges of the earth execute iudgement. Agayne the wyse man sayth, heare O ye Kynges & vnderstond,Sap. vi. gyue eare ye that rule the multitudes. For the power is gyuen you of the LORDE, & the strength from the moost hygh god. Are not these wordes playne ynoughe, to shewe that the power, whiche the ciuile magistrates & head Officers hauehave, is of God? as that noble kyng Iosaphat sayde to thē, whome he appoynted iudges of the londe in all the cities of Iuda.ii. Par. ix. Take hede, sayth he, what ye do. For ye execute not the iudgement of man, but of the Lord, and he is with you in iudgement. Therfore lette the feare of the LORDE be wt you, and do al thynge diligently For with the Lorde our God there is no vnryghteousnes, nor respecte of personnes, nor desyre of gyftes. god hī selfe also sayth by the mouth of Dauid, ye are Gods,Psal. lxxxi. ye are al the sonnes ot the moost hyghest. Dothe not god here playnly saye, that the magistrates are gods, that is, such as beare the offices of GOD, as to mayntayne peace, iustice and good order, to punysh synne & to defende the innocentes. If they be the officers of God, & exercyse his offyce, so that he approueth & alloweth their state and manner of lyuinge, howe can any man righteously cōdemne & reiecte theyr autho…ite & power Cursed be they, that knowlege not frō the very herte the hygh powers to be ordened of God, and that ther fore they oughte to be obeyed & had in perpetual reuerence & honoure.
Chri.
They graunt that in the olde lawe it was ye ordinaunce of God to hauehave ciuile magistrates, as Iudges, Kynges, and other rulers, but nowe, saye they, in the newe Testament it is not lawfull to hauehave ony preeminēce or superiorite For christ sayth,Mat. xxiii. be not ye called mayster. For ye hauehave but one master euē Christe. All ye are brothers.Luke. xxii. Agayne, ye kynges of the Hethen hauehave dominiō on thē, and they that beare rule ouer them, are called gracious Lordes. But ye shal not be so.The obiec…ions of ye Anabaptistes. But the greatest among you, shall be as the yongest, and the cheffest as a seruaunt, Lo, saye they, here is all dominion and temporall power forbyddenne amonge Christen people, and equalitie of power proponed & set forthe to all men.
And that we shoulde doubte no thynge hereof, we hauehave, saye they a manifest exāple of Christe the teacher of all verite, whiche, whan the people would hauehave made him king. fled awaye from them,Ioan. vi. & by no meanes would enioy ye offyce, although beynge the very Messias and true annoynted kynge of ye Lord Moreouer he sayde to Pylate,Ioan. xviii. my kyngedome is not of this worlde.
Phil.
O blynde ignorancye, and ignorante blyndnes, with what eyes do those Owles loke on ye holy scripture? wt what spirite dothe that generacion of vipers searche and iudge ye moost sacred word of God?The confutacion. With how fylthy & vnwasshed feete do those swynysh and beastlike parsonnes enter into the swete and pleasaunt fountaynes of y• moost pure scriptures? O Lorde GOD, what dareth not blynde Bayard attempte & take in hande?Mark well. Christe came not into thys worlde to reygne, but to serue, not to be a tēporall, but spiritual king, not to rule with the swerde, but wt the breath of his mouth, not to execute iudgemente on other, but to be iudged hī selfe, not to lyue as an erthly Prynce, but as a ghostly minister of Goddes worde, not to …lea, but to be slayne. Therfore was it conuenient, that he shoulde fulfyll his Fathers wyll, for the whiche he came downe, & that once done to ascende & go vp agayne vntounto the glory of his father. Which all these thī ges he dyd: lyuynge all the tyme yt he was in this worlde humbly and mekely, shewynge euer obedience, reuerence & honour to the magistrates although Hethen, euen vntounto ye very deth. And as he came to serue and not to be serued, to obeye & not to be obeyed, so taught he his disciples whan they began to contende of superiorite, to be humble, lowly, meke, gentle, obediente, and not to go aboute ony temporall primacye, which only pertaineth to the ciuile magistrates, but to be contente wt theyr offyce,The office of christes Apos…les. whiche was to preache Gods worde, to open the misteries of Christes kyngedome, to reproue the world of synne and vnfaythfulnes, to fyght with the swerd of goddes word, to vse not carnal but spirituall armours, to bryng a gayne suche as were gone astraye. To be shorte, wholly to be bent to enlarge the kyngedome of God, and the glory of Christes Gospel. This destroyeth not, but rather magnifieth the authorite of ye hygh powers, seinge Christ wylled them not to take vpō them the office of temporal regimēt cōtrary to equite,i. Cor. iiii. but only to be as seruauntes & dispensatours of the misteries of GOD. And come of a good felawshyp, dyd Christe at ony tyme shewe hym selfe disobediente to the publique magistrates & head officers? Dyd not he confesse that ye power, which Pylate ye Iudge had ouer hym,Ioan. xix. was gyuen hym from aboue. Note that well, I praye you, and beare it away.Math. xxii. Mark. xii. Luke. xx. Dyd not he also pay tribute to Cesar, & willed other to do so lykewyse? Dyd not ye Apostles also shew themselues obedient to the hygh powers in all poyntes, yea and taught other mē so to do? Ther is no power,Rom. xiii. sayth S. Paule but of god. The powres that be, are ordenned of God. Therfore who so resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinaunce of God. And they that resist,i. Pet. ii. get to thē selues dānaciō. s. Peter also cōmaundeth vsus to honour the kyng & to be subiecte to hym as supreme head, & to the other rulers that are sent of him. For this is the wyll of ye Lord,The newe testament also approue the authorite of ye Magistrates. sayth he. Are not al these authorities alleged out of the newe Testamēt? HaueHave we not here both manifest textes & also euident examples to approue the office and state of the hygh powers, so that it is nowe of no lesse authoritie, than euer it was before, but rather greater and stronger, seynge it is nowe also confirmed and establysshed by Christ & his Apostles? Let ye aduersaries of this ordinaunce of GOD learne to be ashamed, confesse theyr disobedience, become subiecte and giuegive reuerence & honour to all head officers as to the ministers of god, euen from the greatest to the least. For so is the wyll of God, sayth the scripture.
Theo.
It wyll be obiected of these order destroyers: we wulde gladly heare by the scripture, if ony christē man, that had receaued the fayth of Christ, dyd euer beare rule & exercyse tēporall dominion ouer his Brothers.
Phil.
What is this? What do I heare? May not a christen man execute that offyce, wherby vertue is mayntayned & vice exiled? Is he not more fitte to be a ruler that beleuethe in the true God, feareth him, seketh his glory, embraseth vertue, hateth vice, loueth his neyghbour, tendereth the common wealth, & seketh in al poyntes to be a father amonge his subiectes, thā suche one as beleueth in Idolles, feareth them, seketh th…yr glory, despyseth the alone true God, hate the vertue, embraceth vice, oppressethe his neyghbour, tearethe the cōmon welth ī peses, & sheweth hīselfe ī all thīges a cruel Tyraunt among his subiectes? What furious Erinnys hath inuaded and troubled ye braynes of these vnresonable creatures to resist the publique Magistrates and to condemne theyr authoritie, which they hauehave receaued of God? But let these honest men, & GOD wyll, tell me, was not Abraham, Iosephe, Iudas, Moses, Iosue, Gedeō Samuel, Dauid, Ezechias, Iosaphat, Iosias, wt many other Christen & faythfull men? Yet dyd they execute the office of Magistrates & were hygh powers, in dede allowed before God, workynge that, which was good in his syghte?
Euse.
They were faythfull, …aye they we g…aūt, but not christen.
Phile.
O monstures as though it were one thynge to be faythfull, and another to be christē. Difference is there none betwene them & vsus, but this only, that they beleued in Christe to come, and we beleue that Christe is come, & hathe fulfylled the prophecies of the holy mē ghostly enspired. All, sayth S. Paule (he speketh of the fathers of the olde Testament) dyd eate al one spirituall meate,i. Cor. …. that is to saye wt vsus, & all dyd dryncke the very same drinke of the spiritual rocke, which accompanied them, & Christ was y• rocke. It is a good cōsequence therfore, that it is all one chyrche bothe of them that beleued than in Christ & of them, whiche are nowe, whiche chyrch is gathered togyther ī one & the very same spirite, so yt they be a lyke faythfull & christē, hauyng one fayth, one professiō, one religiō, one God, one Lorde, one sauioure, & one hope. But I wyl come to ye new Testamēt. Was not Nichodemus, Ioseph, & ye noble mā which was Chā berlayne & of great authorite wtCā dace yt quene of ye lōde of ye Moriās, which was baptized of Philip, & receaued into Christes flocke, christē & faythful mē? Yet were they magistrates. Was not Cornelius which called Peter vntounto him, & was baptized of hym, a christē mā? Yet dyd he vse publique offices. Was not Sergius Paulus, Erastus, wt dyuers other christē mē? And yet officers in ye cōmōwelth?
Chri.
All these thīges are true.
Phil.
Wel thā let vsus cōclude if it were lawful at ye time for a christēmāto bear rule ī ye cōmō wele hou is it now become vnlawful, Is ony mā more fyt to reigne & rule amōg christē mē, thā he which is of ye same profession, fayth & religiō? Is it cō ueniēt for the wicked & vnfaythful to hauehave dominiō ouer ye ryghteous & christē, rather thā they, whiche desyre nothyng more thā the glory of god, & the helth of theyr Christē brothers? O extreme blindnes. If that should come to passe, who wuld not wish rather to be an vnfaythful painim thā a faythful christiā? Behold to what poynte these wycked order breakers bryng the Christen religion, whyle they wyll seme to fyghte moost chefelye for the glorious furtheraunce of it? O foxysh Hypocrites. Who perceyueth not theyr subtylite? Who smellethe not theyre crafte? Who espyeth not theyr false hode? Whyle they go aboute to syn without punishmēt, to hauehave al thinges in cōmon, to lyue of the sweate of other mēnes browes, to lyue frely in al kynde of beastlike pleasure, to defyle other mēnes wyues, maydens, doughters & seruauntes. &c. beholde to what poynte these gross… Gospellers, these shamelesse Schismatykes, these brutall bely Gods, brynge the publique wea…e of Christendome. God moughte once root… suche Pestilences out of the earth, that we maye according to our duty withe all submission of mynde, & faythefull obedience, honoure and magnify y• pyblique Magistrates.
Thus hauehave I neighbours, grossely but faythfully, rudely but truely proued to you by the īfallible verite of Gods worde, that the hyghe powers are ordeyned of God, and yt theyr office pleaseth God, & is agreable in all poyntes wt the holy scriptures both of the olde & new Testastament.
Now accordyng to my promyse wyl I in thre wordes, as they saye, declare howe necessarye the office o… the publique magistrates is for the ryght institucion & prosperous preseruacion of the common weale.
Euse.
I praye you lette vsus heare.
Phil.
The office of the hyghe powers euidently declareth, what innumerable cōmodities & pleasures y• christē publique weale receueth by thē. Moses, whan he appoynted certen rulers ouer the Israelites,Deut. i. cōmaū ded thē that they should iudge righteouslye, & that they shoulde not be parciall in theyr iudgementes, but heare all indifferētly, not estemyng nor preferrynge the man of power and nobilite before the poore & base per…on, nor yet feare the persōne of ony man, for it is the iudgement o… GOD, sayth he. Agayne, that they should receaue no gyftes (for giftes do blynde the eies of the wyse,Deut. xvii. & depraue the causes of the ryghteous) but alwaye pursewe & follow that, which is accordyng to iustice, hau… euer wyth them the boke of ye lawe of the LORDE, reade it all the dayes of theyr lyfe, that they maye learne to feare the LORDE theyr God, and to kepe all the wordes of hys lawe, & ordinaūces therof, that they may do them.Ie xxi. xxii. Esa. i. za…ha. vii. The Prophet Ieremy also commaūdeth kynges & other rulers to minister righteousnes, to deliuer the oppressed from violent power, to kepe equite not to greue nor oppresse the straunger, the fatherles nor the wydowe, nor yet to shed innocent bloud. Here maye ye se in fewe wordes,Howe necessary ye office of the ciuile Magistrates is. how necessary the office of the publique magistrates is for the ryghte institucion & prosperous preseruacion of the common weale. Howe expedient is it, thinke you, in matters of cōtrauersy, that all thynges be iudged & reconciled accordyng to equite & iustice? How necessary is it, that ye poore oppressed be delyuered frō y• violent bloud soupers? How cōuenient is it, that the straunger, wydowe & fatherles be holpen & prouided for? How profitable is it, that vnite, cōcord, louelove beneuolence, frendshyppe, amite be mayntayned? and debate, discorde, stryfe, maleuolence, ire, wrath, contencion, hatred, emnite be exiled? How necessary is it, ye vertue reygneth, & vice be banyshed? How semely is it, that an order be kepte, & confusion dryuen oute of the publique weale▪ By the godly office & authorite of y• hygh powers al these good thynges are broughte to passe, and wythoute that, what can there remayne in ony publique weale ī safe estate & comely order?Prouer. x… As Salomō sayth, where ther is no gouernour, there the people must nedes decay. But wher as are many that canne gyue councell, there is wealthe, as Chrisostome sayth, If thou takeste awaye the iudicial seates & the offices of the lawe,Hom. vi. ad Pop. de eo quod vtilis sit principū terror. so hast thou vtterly destroyed all the order of oure lyfe. And as if thou seperatest & pluckest away from the shyppe the mayster & stereman of it, thou hast drowned the shyp, & as if thou leadest awaye the captayne from the armye, thou haste made the Souldiours to be ouercome of theyr enemies. So like wyse if thou takest awaye ye rulers oute of the Cyties, we shall leade a lyfe more vnreasonable thā the very brute bestes, euer snatchyng on… at another, bytynge & deuourynge one another, so that the man of the greater power shal subdue the poorer, & the bolder shall ouercome the meker spirited. They therfore that go about to take awaye the publique magistrates, maye iustely seme to be ye moost exstreme pestilēces of ye cōmō weale, & to destroy yt, which is no lesse profitable for our preseruacion, safegarde and health, than the sonne, fyre, or water is, or what so euer can be rekened moost necessary for this oure nedy lyfe.Behold what cōmodities we receaue by the high power▪ For by them is publique innocency, honest behauour, godly learnynge, vertuous knoweledge, syncer erudicion, necessary artes, fruytfull occupacions, mayntayned. By thē we lyue in tranquilite & peace. By them we enioye our owne possessions wtoute ony disturbaunce. By them we are preserued from all iniuries & cruell oppressiōs. By them oure Realmes are defended frō the īuasion of cruell Tyrauntes. By them the glory of God floryssheth. By thē the Gospell of Christ triumpheth, & all sectes & heresies are extyrped & plucked vp by the rootes. To conclude, by them God worketh his moost diuine pleasure in his electe & faythfull people, & all good thīges chaūse vntounto vsus. For theyr iudgynge place is the throne of God.Pro. xvi. Theyr mouth & sentence is the organ and instrumēt of Gods trueth. They are the vicars of God. They are the lyuish Image of God. They are the ministers of God for oure wealth.Rom. xiii. Psal. xviii. Deut. i. They represent the parson of God. They exercyse the iudgemēt ofye LORDE. They are the fathers of the contre. They are the pastors of the people. They are the maynteners of peace. They are the rulers of iustice, and patrons of all true innocēcy. They therfore, whiche wyll not approue, commende and allowe the imperye, rule and dominion of the publique magistrates & heade officers, maye worthely be iudged twyse frātyke, & to much estraunged frō all kynde of humanite. Thus hauehave ye hearde in fewe wordes, howe necessary the hygh powers are for the right institucion & godly administracion of ye publique weale.
Theo.
We se nowe ryght well, that wythoute they regiment & gouernaunce, nothyng yt is godly & vertuous can stond, but all wicked thīges must nedes sprīg vp & aryse in those Realmes, where the publique Magistrates wante.
Phil.
Trueth it is, that ye saye, well, nowe for the iust & perfecte accomplysshement of my promyse heretofore made, I wyll declare cōsequētly vntounto you, what your duety is …owarde the hygh powers, I meane, our moost soueraygne Lord ye king & all the other rulers, that gouerne vnderunder his mooste noble empyre and dominion.
Chri.
I praye you hertely let it so be.
Phil.
Ye remember wel, I am sure, that your flour, whiche I I gaue you laste, is this.Rom. xiii. Lette eueryevery soule be obediente to the povvers, that beare rule. &c.
Euse.
We remember it well.
Phil.
Here is Faythfull obedience required of you toward the high powers and rulers of the common weale.Of faythful obedience. For as it is theyr office to rule, so is it our duety to obey, & that not faynedly but with sincerite of cōsciēce & purenes of mynde wythoute ony dissimulacion or Hypocrysy.Note. For ther is no povver but of God. Rom. xiii.The povvers that be are ordined of God. Therfore VVho so euer resisteth the povver, resisteth the ordinaunce of God. And they that resist, shall gette tothē selues damnacion. Butte I praye you marke, what your floure sayth, Let eueryevery soule be obedience to the povvers that beare rule. Note that it is sayd, Let eueryevery soule be obediēt. Here se you, that no parson, be he spiritual or temporal, as they vse to call them, is excepted from obedience towarde the hyghe powers.No parson is excepted from obedience vntounto ye powers. All are vnderunder subieccion. All owe obedience, feare, honoure & tribute to the rulers of the commō weale. None is free from this subieccion. For eueryevery soule is here takē after the Hebrew phrase for all mē, & for so many as are reasonable creatures, borne & appoynted to lyue vnderunder a law. So that the scripture here cōmaundeth all men both spirituall & temporall, both godly and vngodly, both wicked & righteous, both perfecte & imperfecte, to obey the magistrates & all such ordinaū ces & lawes, as are made of thē for the glorye of God, & the commodite of the publique weale, or els they accumulate & heape vp to thē selues great dānaciō, as S. Austen sayth,De correct. Donatist. ad bonifa…. capi. vi. who soeuer wyl not obey the lawes of the temporal gouernours, which are made for the establyshemen… of Goddes truethe, he getteth greate damnacion.The spiritu alte also must obeye.
Theo.
Are the spirituall persons bounde to be obedient also to the hygh powers by the word of God?
Phil.
Yea verelye, there is not one Bysshop nor preste within this Realme of Englonde, which oweth not so muche obedience to the kynges graces maieste, as the moost inferiour subiecte and vile temporall man doth. Neither doth this name spirituall, Archbishop, Patriarche, Cardinall, Bysshop, Archedeacon, Suffragane, Preste, Decon, &c. delyuer them from subiecciō & obedience, no more than this word, Tayloure, Shoomaker, Draper, Marchaunt, Innekeper, water tākerde bearer, Dawber, Cobler▪ &c. dothe Let eueryevery soule, saythe the Scripture… be obediente to the poVVers that beare rule, Here is none excepted, no not that Romyshe Porke, which chalengeth so great authorite ouer all parsons in the worlde,O abhominacion. that he is not ashamed to suffer kinges & Emperours to kysse and lycke hys pockye feete. O shameles Antechriste. Theophilacte vponupon the aforesayde place of Paule wrytethe on thys manner:Theophilacte. Here he teacheth all men, sayth he, that whyther he be Preste or mōke, or Apostle, they should be obedient to the Prynces and hyghe powers: Where is onye excepcion nowe, I praye you? where are the pryuyledges, immunities, fredoms, & liberties nowe become, which the Butcher of Rome was wonte to giuegive so bounteouslye to hys dere spirituall chyldren, that they might synne wt out punyshment, be free from payenge tribute, exempte from all temporal iurisdiccion, …e Lordes & kinges within them selues, hange and drawe at theyr owne pleasure, and do what so euer theyr beastlyke lustes coueted? Howe well followed they this doctrine of ye holy Ghost? Of what spirite, were they named spiritual, which so manifestly fight with the spirite of god? With what forheade durste they be bolde to cal thē selues the successours of ye Apostles, seynge that contrary to ye teachynge & practyse of all true Apostles, they were disobediente to the hygh powers, robbed them of theyr authorite, led them captiue & made thē to serue theyr voluptuous and beastlyke pleasures.
Euse.
Undoubtedly there hath ben great abusion in the Clergy concernyng the temporall rulars.
Phil.
It can not be denyed but thankes be to our LORDE God, whiche hath in these our dayes brought it to passe by the reuelacion of his diuine verite, that oure moost christen Kynge, wyth certen other Prynces, hathe very tryumphātely gotten agayne & recouered theyr authorite gyuē them of God, wherof so many yeres they hauehave vniustly be depriued by the furious tyranny of that moost cruel Romysh Bysshop and his bloudye whelpes.
Theo.
The holy scripture, I am sure taught them no such disobedience.
Phil.
No verely. It rather teachethe them obedience, as ye hearde before. For it is wrytten, the kynge beareth rule ouer all,iii. Esd. iiii. & he hath dominion ouer them, so that what so euer he sayth to thē, they do it. Was not Aharon the hygh Preste obediēt to Moses,Exo. xxxii. whom God appoynted rulare ouer his people, & dyd what soeuer he commaūded hym. Wasnot the hygh Preste Achimelech and al the other Prestes obedient to kyng Saul,i. Reg. xxii. & called them selues his seruauntes, and him theyr Lorde, not once resistyng the fury of the king, but rather chosyng to suffer death paciently vnderunder so great a tyraūt, than once to resiste hym disobediētly? What nede I speake of Dauid, Salamō, Ezechias, Iosaphat,ii. Pa. viii. ii. Pa. xix. ii. Par. xxix xxx.xxxi. Iosias, Alexāder, Demetrius, Antiochus. &c. whiche euerhad the Bysshoppes, Prestes, Leuites, & other spirituall ministers in subiecion wt oute ony resistence? Howe can oure spiritualte than be free from obedience & subiecciō?
Chri.
Ye say trueth But all these hystories hytherto alledged,i. Math. x. xiiii. vii. you hauehave borowed of ye olde Testamente. We woulde be glad to heare this thyng proued by the authorite of the newe Testament. For there hauehave bene,The Anabaptistes. neyther yet want, which thyncke it a matter of absurdite and a thynge very vnsittyng, that tēporall rulars should reygne ouer the spiritualte.
Phil.
O disobedient hertes.Luke. ii. Dyd not Mary ye mother of Christ & Ioseph obey the cō maundement of Augustus the Emperour, when ye whole world should be taxed and went into theyr Cyte Bethleē?Math. xvii. Math. xxii. Mar. xiiii. Luke. xxii. Ioan. xviii. Act. xxiii. xxv. Dyd not Christe hymselfe teache obedience towarde the hygh powers? Dyd not he paye tribute? Was not he content to dye vnderunder ye temporall rulers, & confesse yt theyr power was gyuen them frō aboue? Dyd not the Apostles so in lyke mā ner both teache and do? Dydde not Paule wyllyngly euer obey ye publique magistrates Flestus & Faelix. &c? Dyd not all the Bysshops and ministers of Gods word so lykewyse do & teach ī ye primatiue Chirch,Dan. ix. Esa. xi. ii. Thes. ii. vntyl yt wycked man ye son of perdiciō came, which exalted him selfe aboue all that is called God, in so muche yt he syttethe in the Temple of God, bostynge hym selfe to be God? But the LORDE shall slaye hym with the breath of his mouth, & shal put him to flyght wythe the clerenes of hys commynge. Let it come to passe, O LORDE, yea and that shortely.
Furthermore was not this the Commaūdement of Christ:Math. xxii. Paye yt to the Emperour that is due to the Emperour, what is due to the Emperour, that is, to the temporal gouernoure, but obedience, feare, honour, tribute. &c. Howe than cann… any man be excepted from the obedience of the temporal power,Rom. xiii. be he called spirituall or otherwyse? Let eueryevery soule, saythe S. Paule, as ye heard before, be obedient to the powers ye beare rule. Agayne he sayth warne them that they submyt thē selues vntounto Prynces & to the hygher authorite,Titus. ii. to obeye the Officers, S. Peter also sayth, submyt youre selues to all manner of ordinaunce of mē for the LORDES sake,i. Pet. ii. whyther it be vntounto the kyng as vntounto ye chefe head, or vntounto rulers, as vntounto them that are sent of hym for the punyshment of euel doers, but for ye prayse of thē that do wel. For so is the wyl of God. Are not all these authorities selected oute of the newe Testament sufficiēt to declare what obedience all kynd of people owe to the hygher powers?
Euse.
Yies in good fayth, & that no man frō this true & faythfull obedience is excepted.
Phil.
Uery well sayde. So here do ye nowe learne▪ what is one poynte of your dutye towarde oure moost redoubted kyng,What oure dutye is toward ye high powers. & other head officers
Chri.
This is truely & faythfully wt all humilite & submission of mynde to be obedient vntounto them, & gladlye to execute, perfourme & do, ye which they commaūde and requyre of vsus.
Phil.
Than do ye perceyue right wel that as it is the office of the publique magistrates for to rule, so is it your duetye to obeye.
Theo.
We perceyue that righte well, and that we maye by no meanes resiste the high powers, in asmuche as they are ordened of GOD.Rom. xiii▪ For who so euer resistethe the power, resistethe the ordinaunce of GOD. And they that resiste, shall get to thē selues damnacion.
Phil.
It is wel sayd. But I wyll nowe go forthe to declare vntounto you, what your dutye is more toward the high powers.
Chri.
I praye you lette it so be.
Phil.
It is not only required of vsus by ye worde of God,Offea… ▪ that we should be obedient to the head rulers, but also that we feare them. For Sayncte Paule amonge all other thynges, whiche we of very duty owe to the hygher powers, rehearseth feare. So that it is our dutye also to feare, vnlesse we attēpte ony thynge, that should derogate theyr pryncelyke authorite, or in ony poynte displease them. For the rulers are not feare,Rom. xiii sayth he, to them that do well, but to thē that do euell. Wilte thou not feare the power? Do that is good, & thou shalte receyue prayse of it. For he is the minister of god vntounto thy welth. But if thou dost that which is euel than feare. For he bearet he not the swearde in vayne. He is ye minister of God, a taker of vengeaūce to punysh hym that doth euell. Wherfor… ye must nedes obey, not only for punyshmēt but also for cōscience sake.Pro. xx And this is it that Salomon sayth the Kynge ought to be feared as y• roryng of a Lyō. Whoso prouoketh hym vntounto anger, offendeth agenste hys owne soule. Agen he saythe, my sonne feare thou the LORDE & the kynge. Beholde how he ioyneth the feare of God & of the King togither bycause we shuld walke euer wyth a reuerēt feare toward hym,Pro. xxiiii Mark well.alway beynge afearde eyther to thyncke, breath, speake or do, that should be cōtrary to the Kinges graces pleasure. Howe greuously they hauehave be punyshed that walked as sedicious parsons wythoute ony godly feare toward the publique magistrates,Numer. vi. iii. Reg. xvi. the Histories of Dathan & Abyron, of Zambry & Baasa shewe manifestly. Neyther hauehave we wāted experience of thys thynge nowe a dayes. For what, I praye you,Experience of our time. hathe euer ben muttered or secretly conspired agaynst the kynges graces maieste at ony tyme eyther amonge men of nobilite, or yet of the baser sorte, yt hath not come to lyght, & wrought destruccion to the Authors therof? This is vndoubtedly the prouision of God.God watcheth vponupon hys ministers, yt no euyl chaunce vntounto thē. GOD defendeth his ministers, as a good master doth his seruauntes. God waytethe vponupon the Kynges graces helth. He defendeth hym from his enemies. He kepethe all his bones,Psal. xxxiii. Math. x. Luke. xii. as the Psalmograhe sayth, that not one of them shall be broken. He hath nōbred the heares of his head, so that not one of them shall perysh wythout the good wyll of our heauenly father. He hath wt oute doubte hytherto, & shall continually preserue his moost gracious maieste from all the craftye conspiraciōs & subtyle assaultes of all his enemies, so that they shal neuer preuayle agaynste hym, but hys grace shal euer be preserued in safe estate, & hauehave perpetually the tryūphant victory ouer all his enemies vntounto y• great glorye of God, the fruytefull promocion of Christes Gospell,Note this s…militude. and the prosperous tranquilite & welth of al vsus his moost louing subiectes. For as it is impossible to hynder or let the course of ye Sonne or moone so is it impossible for thē to escape, whiche imagyne or worke ony violence or treason agaynst his grace. Certes there is no euasion nor way to escape, as the wyse manne sayth. For God alwaye preserueth his ministers,Eccl. vii. and wyll not suffer them to escape vnpunysshed, that cōtēne disobey, or laboure to destroye hys ordinaunce, Woulde God therfore that all men would remember this sayenge of the preacher: Wysshe the kynge no euell in thy thought,Eccl. x. and speake no hurte of the rytch in thy priuye chamber. For a byrde of the ayer shall betraye thy voyce, and wt her fethers shal she bewray thy wordes. There is nothynge hyd, y• shall not come to lyght, neyther is there ony secret,Math. x. Luke. xii. that shall not come to reuelacion.
Euse.
If they would set before the eyes of theyre mynde thys moost godlye & wyse sentence, than shoulde they neuer offend, but euer feare once to thinke ony thing that shoulde be preiudiciall to ye kinges graces honour.
Phil.
Ye saye trueth. Prouyde therfore that ye your selues remember it well,What feare we ought to hauehave toward ye high powers. & euer set before your eyes this feare, and that not constraynte, seruyle, bonde or churlysh, but reuerent, gentle, obsequious, wyllynge, yea & euen suche a louynge feare, as a deare Sonne hath toward his moost hertely beloued father, so that ye woulde feare to offend though ther were no law nor punyshment at all, euen for the louelove that ye heare towarde vertue, true innocencye & purite of lyfe. If ye hauehave this fear, ye shal easly hauehave the true obedience & all other thinges, which moost of al become faythfull & louynge subiectes. And with out this feare knowe that ye canne none otherwyse but precipitate & throwe headlonge your selues into all kynde of mischefe, parell, daūger & destruccion.
Chri.
God mought en grasfe in oure hertes thys reuerent feare towarde our moost excellente Prīce, that we by no meanes maye offende hī neither in thought, word nor dede.
Theo.
Amen,Ofhonour. good LORD I beseche the.
Phile.
Moreouer besydes this obedience and feare, we owe also to the hygh powers, honoure, as S. Paule wytnessethe in the aforsayd texte.Rom. xiii▪ And S. Peter sayth,i. Pet. ii. honour all men, louelove the brotherhead, feare God, honour the kynge. Here are we also commaūded to honoure the kynge.What it is to honoure the kynge.
Euse.
What meaneth the scripture by that, I pray you?
Phil.
To honoure the kynge, is not only to pretende & shewe an outward humilite & hūble obeysaunce towarde him, as by puttyng of our cappe to hym, reuerently to speake to hym, to knele vntounto hym, to graunte hym freely & wyllyngly what so euer he requireth of vsus, but also with herte & mynde to wysh well vntounto hym, to desyre all good & prosperous thynges vntounto hym, to praye for hym, to desyre longe lyfe vntounto hym, to pray that God maye rule & gouerne all his councelles, enterprises & affayres, to watch diligētly yt no harme, disturbance or incommodite chaūse vntounto hym, and in all oure actes eyther publique or priuate, open or secret, to seake the honour of hym, as of oure mooste soueraygne LORDE. This honor shewed Dauid to kyng Saul,i. Reg. xxvi. which knowyng Saul to be his vtter enemy, & one that sought his lyfe, woulde notwithstondynge so much as once hurte hym, nor yet suffer ony other to do it, althoughe he had sufficiēt oportunite & occasiō dyuers tymes to hauehave slayne hī, if he had bene so minded. The Lord forbyd me, sayth he, y• I should laye mynhand on hym. Agen, kyl hī not. For who sayth he, shall laye handes on the LORDES annoynted, and be not gyltye? The LORDE lyuethe, he dyeth not, excepte the LORDE smite him, or that his day be come to dye,ii. Reg. i. or els go to battayle, & there perysh He also afterwarde commaunded ye younge manne to be slayne, whiche came & tolde him, that he had kylled kynge Saul, thynckynge by thys menes to hauehave picked a great thāke or obtained some beneficial reward at Dauids hand.Note. Here was true honor. For it is not lawfull for any mā beynge a subiecte to aryse agēst hys Prynce, & to auenge hys owne quarell, be he neuer so muche a Tyraunt, or sustayneth he at his hand neuer so great iniuries & wronges, but paciently to suffer all thynges, yea rather death,Deut. xxxii. Rom. xii. Heb. x. Rom. xiii. thā he should once resist, leauynge the vengeaunce vntounto hym, which sayth, vengeaunce is myne, & I wyl reward. For he that resisteth the ordinaunce of God, getteth to hym selfe dampnacion. And they that dishonour the hygh powers, shal fall into ignobilite, & proue a miserable end.
Chri.
They therfore dishonour greatly the magistrates, which e…cite & store vppe sedicions, make cōmotions, & trouble the trā quilite of the common weale, wysshing that there were no temporall gouernour ouer thē, but that they myght licēciously do what so thē lusteth.
P.
Such sekers of carnal & best lyke liberte hitherto hauehave, & stil shal receaue a reward worthy theyr labour. But learne you (moost deare brothers) vtterly to reny & forsake the pestiferous & wicked māners of such sedicious Scismatykes & disobedient Rebellions, and study vnfaynedly to giuegive that true obediēce feare & honour to our moost christē & boūteous Prynce, yt the scripture requireth of vsus, as I hauehave taughte you before, and to so manye also as are appoynted of him to rule vnderunder his graces dominion. So shall ye both please God, and also leade a good and quiet lyfe in this worlde.
Euse.
God forbyd that the contrarye shoulde be founde in vsus.
Phil.
Nowe remayneth the fourth thynge to be declared vntounto you,Of tribute which all we subiectes from the hyghest to the lowest owe to our moost excellēt kynge.
Theo.
What is that I pray you?
Phil.
Uerely, trybute. For this causealso, sayth S. Paule,Rom. xiii. must ye pay tribute. For they are Gods ministers which mayntayne the same defēce. Gyue therfore to eueryevery man his duty, trybute to whome tribute belō geth, custome to whome custome is due, feare to whom feare belōgeth, honoure to whome honour pertayneth.
Chri.
I pray you, what meane ye by this worde, tribute?
PHIL.
By tribute I vnderstand all paymentes that are due to the ciuile magistrates,What is ment by this worde tribute. as tenthes, fyftenes, rētes, taskes, subsidies, customes. &c. All these are we bounde by Gods commaundement to paye without ony tumulte or grudgynge, & that not wythout a cause.Note why we ought to paye tribute For seynge that y• hygh powers take so great paynes for to defēde vsus & to kepe al that we hauehave in safegarde agaynst the violence of our enemies, agen to mayntayn vertu & to expulse vice, which thynge can not be brought to passe without prudēt, wyse & learned gouernours, it is expedient that we, whiche receaue these cōmodities of them, do minister agayne vntounto thē freely, aboundantly, and liberally, what soeuer they require of vsus for y• preseruacion of y• publique weale and mayntenaunce of theyr dignite. Neyther can we denye thē thys excepte we wyl transgresse Goddes precepte and fall into the daunger of damnacion, and shew that we be moost extreme enemies to oure selues.Math. xvii. Math. xxii. For Christe wyllynge to gyue vsus an example of this thyng, payd tribute hym selfe, and commaūded other so to do, sayenge: Paye that whiche is due to Cesar vntounto Cesar, vnderstandynge by the name of Cesar eueryevery magistrate and temporal power generally.
And that the kynges grace may lawefully withoute onye scruple or grudge of cōscience take such charges of vsus as I rehearsed before, and that we oughte not once to mutter agaynst his graces pleasure & wyll ī this behalf, it is manifest by these wordes,i. Reg. viii. which god spake vntounto Samuell: This shall be ye lawe or right of y• kyng, sayth he, that shall reigne ouer you. Your sonnes shall he take for his charettes & for horsemen to ronne before his Charettes, and to be rulers & Captaynes, to be plowe men to tyll his londe, & to be repers in his haruest, & to make hys harnesse, & such thynges as belong to hys Charettes As for your doughters, he shal take them to be Apoticaries Cookes & Bakers. Your best londe & vyneyardes, and oylegardēs shall he take, & gyue vntounto his seruaūtes. Of youre seedes also & vineyardes shal he take the tythes, & gyue vntounto his Chamberlaynes & seruauntes. And your seruauntes & your maydes & your best yonge men, & youre Asses shall he take, & do his busines wt all. Of your flockes shall he take the tythes, & ye shal be his seruauntes. Are not theise wordes manifest and playne inough to declare what ryght, tytle, & power by the worde of God, our moost excellent Prynce hath to chalenge and require of vsus suche costes & charges, as he sustaynethe for the common weale, & that all that euer we hauehave, is at his commaundement, & that we oughte by no meanes to resist or say him nay.
Chri.
They are more clere than the Sonne, & more open thē the lyght.
Theo.
Yet hauehave I hearde some saye,An obiec…iō that we are made free by Christe, & ought to serue no manne, nor to be charged with paymētes to ony parson, but all thynges ought to be cō mon amonge christen men.
Phil.
To aunswere vntounto eueryevery parte of thys your sentence,Theanswer requireth many wordes, & asketh much tyme. But to be short, know that who so euer mayntayneth that kynde of doctrine, dissenteth muche from the christen religion, corrupteth the word of God, soweth false teachynge,Our libert… is spirituall & not carnal huntethe a carnal liberte, and desyreth to lyue in al kynd of synne without punishmente. Trueth it is, y• we are made free by Christ, but this oure liberte is spirituall and not temporal. By Christ we are delyuered from ye dā nacion of the law,Rom. x. Gala. iii. i. Cor. xv. Ose. xiii. Heb. ii. Act. x. Ioan. viii. Gala. v. i. Pet. ii. but not from the obseruaūce ofit. By Christe we are made free from the power of Satā synne, deathe, desperacion and hell, but not from the power of y• ciuile magistrates. By Christ hauehave we receaued our manumission & fredom… from the condemnacion of all those thinges, īto the which we were cast by the sīne of our fyrste father Adā. So that by Christ we are spiritually made free, if we abyde in his wordes, as we rede ī ye Gospel of Iohn̄ & ī diuers other places of y• holy scripture. But this spiritual liberte maketh vsus not free from our obediēce & dutye towarde the temporal power, to whome we owe both oure selues and al that euer we hauehave, as ye …eard before. For this were a thing of to much absurdite & contrary to all good order, & the teachyng both of Christe & of his Apostles. Yea so should God be the Author of confusion & not of order, of dissension and not of concorde. S. Austen saythe,In li…. ad Rom. prop… sit. lxxii. if ony man thyncketh, that because he is a christen mā, he ought to pay no custome or tribute, nor shew ony honour to the hygh powers, he falleth into a great erroure, & is very muche deceaued.Contra aux entium. xi. Quest. i. Canon, sitributi…n. S, Ambrose also sayth, yf the temporall gouernoure asketh tribute, we deny it not, lette the londes of the Chyrche paye tribute. If the rulare desireth the londes, he hath power to chalenge thē, let him therfore take thē, yf he wyl, I gyue them not to the Emperour but nether do I deny them. Agayn he sayth, it is a great & special document or poynt of teachyng, wherby christen men are taught to be subiecte to the higher powers, bycause that no man should thyncke that y• constituciō or ordinaūce of an erthly kynge ought to be losoned or broken.Ibidem. Cā magnū. Math. xvii.For yf the sonne of God payde Tribute, of what greate authorite arte thou, whiche thīkest that thou oughtest not to pay? Theophilacte also sayth,In Lucam. cap. xx. that we corporally obey hym, that hath power on our bodies, whyther he be kyng or Tyraūt, it hyndrethe vsus no thynge, that we shoulde spirituallye well please the God of spirites.Math. xxii. For Christ saythe, paye vntounto the Emperour, ye whiche is the Emperours, & pay vntounto god that, whiche is Gods. Marke that he sayth not, gyue, but paye. It is, saythe he, dette. Paye therfore thy dette. Thy Prynce kepethe the frō thyne enemies, & he causethe that yu lyueste in quiet. Thou therfore for these thinges owest tribute to him.
Thus se you proued both by the holy Scripture & the aūcient Doctors, yt they, which professe Christe,Mark well. are not so made free, but that they are bounde to be subiecte & obediēt to the high powers in al godly and decent matters. Agen, that al thinges ought not to be commō among them, or that they be excepted from such corporall charges, as ye rulers require of thē, but that they ought to paye tribute, custome, taske, subsidye, or ony thynge els, that is required of them by the temporal gouernours, seyng chefely it make…he so greatly vntounto theyr owne auaūcement, profit & cōmodite. They therfore, yt denye these thīges or grudge to paye them, whan time requireth & occasion is gyuen, verely they are farre from true Christen men, and shall for theyr disobedience receaue damnaciō, excepte they repent and amende.
Euse.
God forbyd, but that eueryevery man should paye with a wyllynge harte, what so euer is required of hym for the mayntaynaūce and conseruacion of the publique weale.
Theo.
Certes we were vnworthy to lyue vnderunder the dominion of so puissaunte a Gouernoure, yf we should not in all poyntes satisfy euen vntounto the vttermoost his godly and reasonable requestes, seyng we hauehave & styll dayly do receaue innumerable cōmodities & pleasures at his graces hande.
Phil.
The charges whiche the Kynges graces maieste sustayneth dayly for the welth of al vsus his subiectes,The charges, whyche the kynges grace fu…tayneth for ye comon weale. are infinite, & far exceade ye vnexperte capacite of the rude simple people, as we may se before oure eyes, & learne by the constant fame & common reporte of all men (as I may leaue of to spea…e of y• byldyng of many Castels, Blocke houses, strong holdes, Bulwarkes, fortresses. &c. & of men appoynted vntounto the defence of the same, wythe all thynges pertaynyng thervnto, agayne of the common Scholes & the techers of thē, of sendyng forth Preachers into eueryevery parte of hys Realme, of procurynge learned magistrates, of gyuynge exhibicion to many vertuous & lerned men, & of a thousande thynges mo, which his moost gracious maieste dothe for ye wealth of vsus, & for the conseruaciō of this his mooste florysshynge Realme) therfore ought we to suppeditate and minister agayne vntounto him abundantly what so euer his grace requireth of vsus at ony tyme, or els we greuously offende God, & walke not accordinge to the order of Charite, but are manifest trāsgressours of Gods moost holy wyll, which cō maundeth vsus & all that we hauehave to be subiecte to ye Kinges graces pleasure.
Chri.
This is trueth, & nothīg more tru
Phil.
I beleue verely, that what soeuer the subiectes hauehave, are the goodes of such a righteous and godly Prynce,Note. as we hauehave now reynynge amonge vsus. Yea if the highe powers were very Tyrauntes, and altogyther vnmercifull, yet myght we deny them no thyng at al of our goodes if they required them of vsus,Iob. xxxiiii. Pro. xxviii. but delyuer them vp into theyr hā des frely, to be vsed as it shal please them, beynge perswaded that it is for our synnes, that God suffereth such Tyrauntes to reygne ouer vsus & therfore oughte they to be obeyed in all thynges,Esa. iii. Act. iiii.v. that fyght not with the worde of God, nor obscure the diuine glorye, thoughe they seme to be neuer so full of tyranny & vnmercifulnes. But seing we hauehave such a prīce as loueth his faythful subiectes nolesse, than a gētle father doth his natural sonne, cherisheth thē no lesse, than a nourse doth her chylde, preserueth them without daunger no lesse than a trusty shepparde seakethe to kepe his shepe from the rauenynge teth of the wolfe, & vtterly gyueth hym selfe altogyther vntounto vsus & vntounto our commodite & profyt, what shoulde be the cause, that we myght deny any thynge to this our Emperour so mercyful, so gentle, so boūteous, so prudent, so wise, and so circumspecte in all thynges, that pertayne vntounto our commodite & wealthe. To muche beastlyke are they, yt consider not the bounte of so excellent a Prynce. Blyssed is that londe, sayth the wyse manne,Eccle. …. whose kynge is a man of nobilite, & whose Princes eat in due seasō for strēgth & not for lust. But wo be vntounto that Realme, whose Kyng is but a chyld and whose Prynces are earelye at theyr Banckettes.
Thus neyghbours hauehave I declared vntounto you accordynge to my promyse your duty toward our moost excellent king, & such as he appoynteth to be gouernours vnderunder hym. Loke therfore that ye be obediente vntounto them, feare them, honour thē, & paye what so euer is required of you. For vntounto all these thynges ye are bound by the holy Scripture, which yf ye do, the blessyng of God is vponupon you: If ye do not, the curse & vēgeaūce of God wil fal on you, so that your ende shall be miserable bothe before God & man.
Euse.
What soeuer ye hauehave hitherto taught vsus, we wyll laboure to the vttermoost of our power to fulfyl it in our quotidiane & dayly conuersacion, that we may walke blameles bothbefore God and oure Prynce.
Phile.
Nowe doth conueniēt order require, that I brynge forth your fourth floure to you, seyng that hitherto ye hauehave learned your dutye bothe toward… your selfe, GOD, and our Kynge.
Theo.
I praye you let vsus se it.