Examination of those Plausible Appearances in the Romish Church, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. What kinde of tranquillitiy belongeth vntounto the true Church? How Kings are her nursing fathers? And that Kings are not the noursing fathers of the Romish Church.
BVt what then? Shall the Church never enioy a quiet estate? And those promises that aEsa. 49.7.23.Kings shall be her nursing fathers, that they shall licke vp the dust of her feet, shall they be frustrated? God forbid. True it is that God bIoh. 14.27. & 16.33.giveth peace to his Church: but it is such as cPhilip. 4 7.passeth all vnderstanding. That dRom. 5.1.peace towards God, by which shee glorieth in afflictions: being f2. Co… 4.8.pressed, but not oppressed:eRom. 5.2.3. in perplexity, but not comfortlesse: persecuted, but not forsaken: cast downe, but not destroyed. And these promises that Kings shall be her nursing fathers, that they shall licke vp the dust of her feet, are of the same nature with those other promises; that she gEsa. 60.16.shall sucke the milke of the nations, that hEsa. 46.1….Kings shall walke before her in chaines, as it were in triumph: nations enemies, Kings enemies of the Church. Promises then of earthly things, for types of heavenly: promises of fading and transitorie commodities, to represent those everlasting honours & pleasures. In this manner God hath promised that he would set her vponupon Carbuncles,iEsa. 54.11. and build her vponupon Saphires, pronouncing that there should be no mo…e tumults, nor clattering in her gates. Because the Iewish nation at the time of these prophecies, was most in louelove with such matters, therefore the holy Ghost vsed them in the expression of the happie, but spirituall estate of the Church. In the same kinde the Lord promiseth,kEsa. 43.2. that when the Church should passe through waters, they shall not overflow her, that being in t…e fire, she shall not be burnt. Promises according to the letter, figuratiue; according to the sense, mysticall, and reall. Its true that God somtimes giues to his Church lPsal. 125.3.an outward prosperity,mProv. 30 8. 1. Tim. 4.8. & 6.6. but in a mediocrity, nAct. 14.22.but for a time. It appertaines not vntounto her, to enioy a compleat peace on earth, being o2. Cor. 5.6.a stranger in it, & a pHeb. 11.13.pilgrime, out qHeb. 11.14.15.of her element, and rHeb. 13, 14. Apoc. 14.13.heavenly country. sProv. 30.6.A continuall, and vndisturbed peace, is vncompatible with her nature, and doth not cherish, but change it, and at length quite corrupt it. Even as the outward heat of the ayre, continued without moderation, first slackes the vigour of the inward, and naturall heat, & maketh it faint, at last stifles and quite extinguisheth it.
Its true, also that kings are the foster-fathers of the Church, but this is seldome. t2. Chron. 36.22.23 Esd. 1.11 Esa. 49.28. & 45.1.Cyrus was a father to the Iewish Church, yet no part of it. So many Pagan Emperours hauehave suffered their kingdomes to bee receptacles of Christians. Then was it when the Church sucked the milke of the Gentiles: then, if ever, was this prophesie, that Kings should be her sustainers, fulfilled liberally. Yet we deny not but God raiseth vp Princes in his Church. But when these Princes in striving to shew themselues Patrons of his Church, with more affection, then discretion, hauehave fostered her even with superfluity, they hauehave procured her ruine, by the same means they sought her advancement.
It was not a Poet only, from whom the pride and surly pomp of the Romish Church, extorted this speech, uPetrarch. in Sonnet. beginni…g Fontana.Hor Constantin non torna, Let's hauehave no more Constantines. St Hierome *In vit. Malch. Monac. ad ini…i.himselfe observed in his time, (marke Reader how long since it was) that the Church attained to her full growth, became adultae by persecutions: but being cherished by Christian Princes, she increased indeed in riches and power, but decreased in vertues, and graces. What would he hauehave s…id in our daies? Wherefore a too pompous magnificence in the Church, is at the first a presage of a future alteration, and at last a certaine note of a change to worse. But the times are now otherwise, & matters are crept into another extreame. There is not a Prince at this day, which, to speake truely, sustaineth the Romish Church: she rather vpholdeth them, by whom she is said to be vpheld. So they cannot properly be tearmed her Patrons. Shee domineers over them, even in temporall matters: she holdes their authorities and estates fastned to her beckand pleasure. Its a small matter for her to vsurp the power of excommunicating them, vnlesse she also take vponupon her the authority to depriue them of their sovera…gneties. When it pleaseth her, she plucks away the scepter, & tramples the crownes vnderunder her feet: so that now (a strange alteration) the nursing father trembles before his nursling, and the Guardian stands in feare of his pupil…; not with such a feare, wherewith of…imes God strikes his enemies, a feare proceeding from a secret cause,Psal 10….15. when he hath caused his uoice, Touch not mine annointed to giuegive a startling sound to the most inhumane and sauage hearts; but with an affrighting apprehension of conspiracies, poyniards, powder-plots, the ruine of their estates, and reuolt of their subiects. O barbarous, and vnnaturall pupill! o vnfortunate and ill-rewarded Protectors. What? shall the Church which vsurpeth this authority, practiseth this cruelty be the true Church? surely he hit the point well, who was the first that said, that deuotion begate wealth, but the daughter devoured the mother. A prodigious child deliuery that Religion should send forth so vnnaturall a monster, so contrary to the disp… sition of its mother. But it was the purpose of God. He had foretold that Kings,Apoc. 17.17. should giuegive their kingdomes to the Beast, that they should vndergoe its yoake. This prediction was to be accomplished.
Now then l…t the Romish Church proceede, and pra…cke it lusti…y, let her triūph in this imperiall greatnesse, seeing it is the greatnesse of the Beast: let her scorne at our homelinesse, and scoff at our penury, seing it is the condition of the Church.