A NEW EIGHTFOLD PROBATION OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND'S DIVINE CONSTITUTION, PROVED BY MANY PREGnant arguments, to be much more complete than any Genevian in the world against the contrary assertion of the fifty three petitioner-preachers of Scotland in their petition presented in the late Parliament to the Kings most excellent Majesty.  
With a tenfold probation of the same Church's doctrine touching one of the most important points of our Creed, which is of our saviours descending into Hell,  
BY JAMES MAXWELL Master of Arts, etc.  
LONDON, Printed by JOHN LEGATT, Printer to the University of Cambridge. 1617.   
Psal. 122. verse 6. Pray for the peace of jerusalem, let them prosper that love thee. Isay 41.8, 9, 25. Thou jacob, whom I have chosen, I have taken thee from the ends of the earth, and called thee before the chief thereof, and said unto thee, thou art my Servant, etc. I have raised up from the North, and he shall come: from the East Sun shall he call upon my Name.  

TO THE MOST LEARNED, RELIGIOUS AND RENOWNED PRINCE JAMES the Concorder, King of Britain, France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, all felicity.  
Most gracious and redoubted Sovereign.  
INEVER read those words of the evangelical Prophet prefixed in the former page; (and I have read them often;) but as oft did I think of Almighty Gods raising of you our jacob from the North, and ends of the earth, to perform the part of his Select Servant for the especial good of his Church: and even, so oft did I call to mind your gracious endeavours for the farthering of the glorious work of Unity and Concord amongst divided Christians: but more especially, according to your Royal and proper interest, among your own ununiformed Britain's. Wherefore persuading myself, that it is both the duty of all good Christians to applaud your most Christian & Commendable endeavours and designs; and the part of all your good subjects to concur with your Majesty in so worthy a work, for the advancing thereof; I have brought unto the building of this spiritual Temple of Concord and Peace, two stones, to wit two Treatises penned and framed to the common people's capacity. Such as they are, I do humbly exhibit both here together into your Royal hands, to dispose of according to your most gracious and wise pleasure, and as ye shall think good for them; for whose good they are intended. The first Treatise, containeth an eightfold probation of the divine and perfect constitution of the Church of England, the which I do demonstrate to be much more complete than any Genenian form wheresoever in the world, for a moderate, quiet and calm refutation of a certain contrary assertion contained in the three and fifty preachers of Scotland's petition presented unto your Majesty in the late Parliament. And though there were many reasons; which might induce me to dedicate the same unto your Royal Majesty; yet nothing moved me so much thereunto, as that the demonstration which I do use, is drawn out of the divine Book of the Revelation of Saint john the divine; the which I may in a manner call the Book of King james the divine, a demonstration that no writer hath used, before me so far as I know● for I suppose, that no divine will or can deny; but that 〈◊〉 ●he Book of the Revelation is contained a representation both of the Church Triumphant in Heaven by such external or sensible signs or shows, as were most fit to represent the same by; and likewise of the Church militant on earth, such as it was to be after our saviours ascensien in the two times of persecution and peace, aye until the last period of his glorious coming to judgement. For as the beloved and divine man of God Moses, made the Tabernacle according to the pattern or model showed him in the mount; as the Scripture speaketh; so our Saviour Christ's beloved and divine disciple Saint john representeth unto us the form and fashion of the militant Church, according to the pattern of the Triumphant, showed unto him by revelation in the I'll of Pathmos. So that (in the opinion of all divines) amongst the many particular Churches, that are on earth, that which is likest unto the Church in heaven, must needs be the divinest and best; and that so much the more because that our Saviour himself hath taught us to pray and say daily, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Now that the Church of England doth more nearly resemble the heavenly Church, than the Genevian doth; I make it apparent by eight pregnant proofs, and irrefragable arguments; founded and grounded all of them in Gods written word, especially in the foresaid divine book of Saint john's Revelation. 1. in that the Church of England is more divine, or Godlike than the Genevian, in her supreme Governor on earth, the Prince. 2. in that she is more Angelical, or Angellike in her secondary Governors of Archbishops and Bishops. 3. more celestial or heavenlike for holiness. 4. more heaven like for humble reverence. 5. more heavenlike for harmony. 6. more heavenlike for habit. 7. more heavenlike for local decency, Churchimplements conveniency, church-service solemnity, and sacramental ceremonies. 8. and lastly, more heavenlike for honour of the ministry. In the handling of which eight arguments, I do demonstrate the lawfulness, utility, and conveniency of the chief rites used in the Church of England, as namely of holy days, of standing up at the reading of the Gospel, of kneeling at the rehearsal of the Law, and in receiving the holy Sacrament, of Church●musicke consisting of song and Organs, of the Church habit of Surplice and Rotchet, of the comely Structure and ornaments of Churches, of having a Font with a standing Table for the celebration of the Sacraments, and of signing with the cross in Baptism; for the which I do produce thirteen arguments all grounded in God's word. I do likewise justify the title of Priest given to the inferiors of the ministry, and of Lord given to the superiors by divers good reasons: and by thirteen arguments I prove the lawfulness and equity of paying tithes to the ministers under the Gospel, adding thereunto an Invective against the Genevian or Puritan impure sin of sacrilege. And in handling the first of the eight branches of this our new demonstration, which is, that the Church of England is more divine or Godlike than the Genevian in her supreme Governor on earth; I do procue these six important points after following, most part against the common contrary opinions of Romans and Genevians; first that the Kingly power is immediately from God, and not from man, by eight Testimonies of Scripture and three arguments. Secondly that the kingly dignity is absolutely greater than the priestly, and of all other the divinest, by eight arguments. Thirdly that christian kings are not mere laymen, but of a mixed condition partly, ecclesiastical and partly secular, by ten sacred examples and three arguments. Fourthly that kings are lawgivers unto their people, and have power of God to make laws for the good both of church and commonwealth, by six arguments. Fifthly that kings are to be honourably and magnificently maintained, and that God hath allotted them a certain competent portion of their subjects goods Sixtly, and lastly, that Kings are endowed with a sacred immunity from all manner of coercion and censure spiritual or temporal at their subjects hands. The which thing I procue against Romans and Genevians by seventeen arguments, And this is the sum of the first Book which I most humbly commend unto your majesties patronage; the other being only a brief of a certain part of a larger work, I have begun in Latin, containeth a tenfold probation of the doctrine of the Church of England touching our Savicurs local descending in his soul after death into the hell of the damned, against the different and repugnant dostrines of Genenians and Romans the which I do dedicated unto the Reverend prelates and pastors of the Church of Scotland. The verity of which doctrine I do show & confirm 1. by Typical prefiguration both personal and real, 2. by prophetical prediction. 3. by holy Scriptures pregnant historical allusion. 4. by evangelical asseveration, 5. by apostolical explication, 6 by all christians catholical confession, 7, by three & forty ancient doctors and father's unanime and harmonious profession, besides some six or seven Counsels. 8. by thirty chief protestant writers ingenuous reception and subscription, besides some particular reformed Churches. 9 by irrefragable reason and demonstration. 10. and lastly, by the consideration of the divers gross absurdities, impieties, contradictions, and ridiculous expositions that they have committed, which have oppugned this ancient doctrine of the Church of England or dissented from the same. And here I will likewise profess publicly, that in case our precise Divines can but show as great variety, and as good solidity of arguments and reasons, even for all their opinions joined together, wherein they do dissent from the Church of England, as I shall show for this one point only, that I shall not be ashamed to retract my present opinions, wherein I do dissent from them, and subscribe unto theirs, and so become as precise, as ever I was known to be once before. And thus have I briefly laid open unto your Majesty the sum and substance of these two little books, which I have written of late for the furthering of a perfect uniformity both in doctrine and discipline in the Churches of these two Kingdoms; and even for the persuading and inducing of my dear Country men to the reception of the ancient primitive form of Church, such as it was in the days of glorious Constantine the great, and during the purer time of the first five hundredth years; which is one of your majesties most christian and commendable desires and designs, worthy of the memory and celebration of all succeeding ages, the which, I pray the God of unity and verity that ye may as happily achieve, as ye do holily wish it and worthily have begunst. That so the Church of Scotland may in your majesties blessed time receive the consummation and accomplishment of her reformation from England, like as from her, she had the inchoation or beginning thereof, as our own history, doth witness: and that as the said Church hath already received of England their English Bible and Psalme-Booke, so may she now likewise receive her Liturgy or service-book with the whole rites and orders contained therein. And though I be haply the first of my Country that ever wrote thus earnestly in defence of the Church of England; yet let not my dear Countrymen, (unto whom God is my witness, I do daily wish all manner of happiness) think that I have done it out of any worldly respect to private profit, benefit or benefice either already conferred, or hereafter to be conferred upon me; by Prince or Prelate, but out of a mere affection to verity and unity & to the pure primitive Church. The truth of which my protestation may hence appear in part, in that these ten year past that I have lived in England, I was at no time a Suitor unto your Majesty nor yet beholding to any Bishop, nor ever aimed at any benefice; as being at this hour and intending to continue ever hereafter a Lay-man; notwithstanding that the learned and reverend Dean of Exeter, Doctor Sutcliffe, the nominated Provost of that begun Controversial College, which beareth your majesties name, hath chosen me to be a fellow and an Antiquary thereof. So that my dear countrymen shall have no cause I hope to charge me with any preposterous affection or flattering humour in the behalf of England; seeing that I have no purpose of aspiring to Church preferment amongst them, who have worthy Scholars enough of their own and most complete Preachers to brook their Benefices. Neither shall the learned ministry of my country take it evil, that a lay-man should thus meddle in Ecclesiastical matters, if it shall please them to consider, how that a lay-man may with greateringenuity & indifferency handle such an argument as this is, than a Churchman who might happily be suspected offlatterie or favour in the behalf of one churches formemore then another, & that merely for love of preferment, from the which kind of suspicion, one of my fashion is free. And as for capacity requisite in the handling of this argument, I am content, they should have no better opinion of me then the course of my life and stades in their own good judgement may challenge at their hands: abreefe narration whereof, I thought good, by your majesties gracious leave, here to insert, not out of any humour of ostentation, but only that it may thereby appear, that though I be a lay-man; yet I have spent a good part of my time in the study of divinity, unto the which, I was known at home, so much to have addicted myself, that at the age of 19 years, and even before, I proceeded Master of Arts, I was requested of some of our Ministry to preach by way of exercise: And though I did refuse to condescend unto their earnest desire proceeding from their good opinion of me, for the which course I was not a little commended of that learned and renowned Divine of good memory, (Master Robert Rollock) who disliked the unripe forwardness of some young spirits, howsoever otherwise of great towardness; yet I omitted not my private study of divinttie, but followed the same assiduonsly, being thereunto encouraged by the the foresaid Revered Divine, who had diverted me from my intended voyaege into Denmark, towards the famous and noble Philosopher and Astrologian Tycho Brahe, with whom I thought to have prosecuted my begun Mathematical studies, and so persuaded me to finish my Academical course in the learned College of Edinburgh, before I went to travail. And there being past some seventeen years since the time I proceeded Master of arts, & went beyond sea, which was in the year 1601. I have all this while given my mind wholly to good letters, and aswell divine as human. For three years of the said space I spent in the private study of Philosophy, in considering of the more noble and choice questions, that have been moved or disputed by the followers of Aristotle, but especially of divine Plato, unto whom I was always more devoted, and of the renowned Egyptian Philosopher Hermes Trismegistus; following therein the example of those four famous Italian Philosophers, Franciscus & joannes Picus Mirandula, Marsilius Ficinus, & Franciscus Patricius. Other three years I spent in reading and pondering the Church questions and controversies of our time, as they have been learnedly and diligently debated on both hands, by divers great Divines of these days. One year I spent in perusing some forty treatises, discourses, commentaries, and consuitations written by some of the more moderate and ingenuous, tending to pacification. Five years I spent in reading and perusing some of the choicest books of the Doctors of the Church, Greeks' and Latins, and of the more renowned amongst the Schoolmen, and other five I spent in perusing political and historical works penned by divers authors, especially Italians and Germans: together with the Genealogies of the Kings and Princes of Christendom. And for some clearer evidence and proof of this studious pastime, besides some ten little things already published in english, most part upon divine and moral arguments, namely, the Looking glass of grace and glory, the Treasure of tranquillity, the Mirror of religious men & godly Matrons, the Golden art or the right way of enriching, the Game of concord and union, admirable Prophecies of 24. famous Roman catholics, touching the deformation and reformation of Rome, two Pamphlets containing some seven short Poems in honour of your Majesty, and your noble children, together with these two present Treatises written of late in defence of the Church of England's discipline and doctrine, besides these ten little exercises, I say, I have written divers things in Latin upon Philosophical, Historical, and Political arguments, but most of all upon Theological points: for being once a follower of the most precise sort, and even a professed Puritan as they term it, I began at nineteen years of age, to write in Latin two books against Popery; one of the which I have entitled, of the admirable Antipathy or contrariety of Theology and Papalogie, or of God's word and the Popes. Wherein I point forth the oppositions & contradictions between the Scripture and the Roman doctrine, from the beginning of the Bible unto the end thereof, going thorough every chapter of both Testaments; answerable whereunto I have divided the said work into two parts, the first containing an hundred and forty nine Sections, the second an hundred and thirty: and it hath been seen and well liked of some learned Scholars. The other is a description of the Tyranny which was to be exercised upon the militant Church, according to the tenure of the two noble prophecies of Daniel and Saint john; where I do entreat of the authors, instruments, duration, beginning, manner and ending of those great troubles: and do compare the opinions of writers, together touching the foresaid circumstances with the reasons thereof: a work of no small labour consisting of eighteen large Sections or Chapters, and was by me dedicated unto the Church and College of Edinburgh, where I took my degree, and therefore I sent it home out of France with my Cousin M. William Maxwell of Kavens, to be presented accordingly; though as I understood since, it was the fortune of my Book, to fall into the hands of M. john Welshe, than a famous Preacher in those parts; who borrowed the same for a few days, but not delivering it again, carried the same away with him into France, and hath kept it until this hour. I have likewise written in Latin another Book called Romase redarguens, or Rome rebuking and reproving herself: Wherein I do prove by the express Testimonies of Popes, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Monks, Friars, Prophets, Prophetesses, Schoolmen, and Cell-women of the Church of Rome, that she standeth in need of reformation, against the contrary assertion of the learned jesuite Martinus Becanus. The Prophetical part, (if so I may call it,) of which work, I did publish of late in English, a Book containing a collection of more than an hundred strange Prophecies utteredin former times touching the deformation, and reformation of Rome, by twenty four famous Romane-Catholikes, whereof some twelve have been canonised for Saints, to wit, seven men, and five women. I have likewise written a disputation or disquisition touching the seat of Satan: whether it was to be in the North, as the Romish Doctors do hold, or in the South, where I prove against the Roman Doctors by Scripture and nature, by Theology and Astrology, by Philosophy and History, how that the North is absolutely the most divine, eminent and excellent, the very seat of God, and not of Satan, and the chief receptacle of his Church. Another disputation and disquisition I have written touching the seat of souls, where I refute the Popish opinions of Purgatory, Limbus Patrum, Limbus infantium, and the like hollow habitations of souls within the earth, and I do show that the ancient Fathers, knewne more places but three at most, as the Greeks' do at this day; Paradise; Heaven and Hell. In the same I do refute the erroneous opinions of Romans and Genevians, Papists and Puritans touching our saviours descending into hell, and prove the doctrine of the Church of England touching that article to be only orthodox; a brief of which part of that Book, I have here published in English. And in the same larger work, I do defend the salvation of salomon's soul against Cardinal Bellarmine, and others, jumping with him in that unprobable and uncharitable opinion. Another disputation I have written in Latin upon the Invocation of Saints, against the Roman Knight of Saint Peter Gaspar Scioppius, against whose allegations of Scripture, and probations fetched from thence: I who am a lay-man like himself, howsoever inferior for human letters and titles do employ some 28. arguments fetched not only from Scriptures, but also from Greek and Latin Fathers, besides Philosophers, Poets, and Historians: and the same Method and manner of probation, I do use in a certain Theological and Historical Plea against the learned jesuite james Gretser, for the pre-eminence of the Emperor, and Kings above Popes, patriarchs, Archbishops and Bishops, and generally of all Priests, and for their mixed condition of Ecclesiastical and civil. Lastly, I have written a Treatise called Catholico-Iacobus, Catholico. Britannus; wherein I do demonstrate the true Catholicisme of Britain's, and do evidently prove that your Majesty and your subjects have all those things, that God's word requireth, to make men true Christians and Catholics, against the contrary assertion of the learned French Archbishop, Cardinal james Perron. The which two Treatises last mentioned, written in defence of King james, and this Church, against two learned and famous Roman Catholics of the name of james, by your majesties subject and servant of the same Name, shall be (God willing) shortly published for the first laïck fruits of that begun College, which beareth the name of King james, whereof I am to be a Fellow. The which premises being considered, I hope the more easily to gain the Church of Scotland's good opinion, and that they shall not charge me with incapacity to handle such a weighty argument as this, having written so much in matters belonging to Church and Religion. To be brief, thus have I spent these seventeen years years of my private & obscure life, since I proceeded Master of Arts, and went beyond sea, in giving myself to study and contemplation, endeavouring to know much, and to contentation, in no wise coveting after much; and to Temperance and Continency, Whereof I take the all-knowing God and his chaste Angels to witness. And now these my poor labours, such as they are, I most humbly lay down at your Royal feet, begging your majesties most honourable patronage and acceptance, and in praying the God of Unity and Verity, to give them a blessing for the furthering of your most Christian desire, and glorious design, so that we may even in your own happy days, see with our eyes the full accomplishment thereof, to the glory of his name; the comfort of his Church, the good of great Britain, and your majesties eternal honour. So prayeth daily  
YOUR majesties Most humble subject and servant, and even the grandchild of your most Noble Grandmothers and Mother's household servant, William Maxwell son to the Laird of Kirkonnell, and in his life man at arms to the most Christian King JAMES MAXWELL.   

THE CONTENTS OF THESE TWO BOOKS.  

1 THat Unity and Concord in matters belonging to God's Worship amongst Christians, especially Protestant's, and more especially amongst Britain's, both for reason of Church, and reason of State is to be by all means desired and endeavoured. Sect. 1.2.3.  
2. That one Church's constitution is more perfect and complete then another's, and that the less perfect aught to conform itself unto the more perfect. Sect. 4.5  
3. That the constitution of the Church of England is much more perfect than an Genevian whatsoever, or wheresoever. Sect. 6.  
4. That the Church of England is more Divine and Godlike in the supreme Governor, the Sovereign Prince than the Genevian. Sect. 7.8.  
5. That the Kingly power is immediately from God, and not from man as both Romans and Genevians do hold, proved by eight testimonies of Scripture and three irrefragable arguments. Sect. 9  
6. That the kingly dignity is absolutely greater than the priestly, and of all other the divinest, contrary to the opinion of Romans and Genevians, proved by eight arguments. Sect. 10.  
7. That Kings are not mere laymen, but mixed of an ecclesiastical and secular condition, contrary to the opinion of Romans & Genevians, proved by three arguments, & ten examples of Kings that have exercised spiritual power for the good of the Church. Sect. 11.  
8. That Kings are lawgivers to their people, and have power of God to make laws for the good both of Church and Commonweal, proved by six arguments. Sect. 12.  
9 That Kings are to be honourable and magnificently maintained, and that God hath allotted them a certain portion of their subjects goods. Sect. 13.  
10. That Kings are endued with a Sacred immunity from all manner of coercion, and censure spiritual or temporal at their subjects hands, proved against Romans and Genevians by 17. arguments. Sect. 14.  
11. That the Church of England is more Angelical or Angellike in her secondary Governors of Archbishops and Bishops. Sect. 15.  
12. That their is an imparity or inequality amongst God's Ministers in the Church triumphant in heaven, and that their hath been always the like imparity in the Church militant on earth, first under the Law, then under the Gospel; and aswell in the time of Christ and his Apostles, as of their successors. Sect. 15.  
13. That the Church of England is more heavenlike for holiness, where the conveniency of holidays besides the Sunday, is proved and demonstrated by unanswerable arguments. Sect. 16.  
14. That the Church of England is more heavenlike than the Genevian for humble reverence, where the conveniency of the gestures of standing up at the reading of the Gospel, capping or bowing at the name of jesus, of kneeling at the rehearsing of the Law, and especially at the receiving of the holy Sacrament is declared and proved. Sect. 17.  
15. That the Church of England is more heavenlike than the Genevian, for harmony, where the conveniency of Church-musicke consisting of voices and organs and other instruments is declared. Sect. 18.  
16 That the Church of England is more heavenlike than the Genevian for habit, where the conveniency and decency of Church-habites, as of the Surplice and Rotchet is proved. Sect. 19  
17. That the Church of England is more heavenlike than the Genevian, for local decency, Churchimplements conveniency, church-service solemnity, and sacrament all ceremony; where the conveniency of a Font or the Ministration of Baptism, and of a standing Table for the celebration of the Lords Supper is declared, and the use of the ceremony of the sign of the Cross in Baptism proved most lawful and commendable by 13. arguments. Sec. 20.  
18. That the Church of England is more heavenlike than the Genevian for honour of the ministery, where the lawfulness of the style of Priest amongst the Ministers of the Gospel, and likewise of the style of Lord, conferred on the reverend Gonernours of the Church is declared, and the Genevian-church governors of Lay-elders proved to be a thing unlawful and absurd. Sect. 21.  
19 That the maintenance of the ministery is more divine, heavenlike and honourable in the church of England, then in the Genevian, where the perpetual maintenance of Tithes is proved, and the Genevian sin of sacrilege exagitated and showed to be more heinous than heathenish Idolatry. Sect. 21.  
20. The diversity and repugnancy of the opinions of divines touching our saviours descending into hell, briefly propounded. Tract. 2.  
21. The doctrine of the church of England touching the foresaid point demonstrated to be only orthodoxal by a Tenfold probation. Tract. 2.    

A Primitive pattern for the Church of Scotland.  

Sect. 1.  
Unity and Concord amongst Christians, especially amongst Protestants or reform professors, but more especially amongst Britain's, 
Psal. 133.1, 2, 3. joh. 17, 20, 21, 22, 23. 1. Pet. 3.8. Heb. 12.14.  as they that are the worshippers of one and the same true God, the servants of one and the same only Saviour jesus Christ, the children of one Church, and the subjects of one and the same Sovereign, is in the judgement of all them that are truly wise, of all other things most to be desired and endeavoured, as a thing most pleasing to God, and most profitable to man.   

Sect. 2.  
Unity and Concord is to be desired and endeavoured in all things, but especially in those things, 
Psal. 122.6. Rom. 15.6. 1. Cor. 1.10, 11, & 3, 3, 4. Eph. 4.3, 4, 5 Phil. 3.16.  that concern God's worship, the salvation of men's souls, and the good constitution of the Church: because by the means and occasion of discord and dissension, such as be without, are scandalised, and still kept out of the Church; and those that are within, are so pitifully distracted, that either they are driven out of the Church, or if they stay still in it, they prove no better then dull or dead members of the Church, (much like the parts of a blasted body,) for lack of true devotion and spiritual life. For whilst we contend about verity, we lose unity, and striving about the shadows of ceremony and circumstance, we slip from the body and substance; opinion oppresseth piety, faction undermineth faith, controversy quelleth charity, and reasoning rooteth up religion.   

Sect. 3.  
The procuring, furthering and preserving of Unity and Concord in the Church appertaineth principally unto the Christian Prince, 
Isay 49.23. Exod. 4.16. & 22.8. Psal. 82.1.6. joh. 10.34, 35 Math. 5.9. 2. Tim. 2.24, 25.  whom God hath called to be a nursing-father unto his Church, and hath honoured most highly, with the style of the Son of the most high, and even of a God, to put him in mind of his care and study for the things of God, and the good of his Church which principally consisteth in the Unity thereof, and next it appertaineth unto the Pastors, who are to join with the Prince in this glorious work; whom of all other it becometh least to be men of strife and contention, or instruments of discord and division, seeing that the God of peace hath called them to be Messengers and makers of peace and Union.   

Sect. 4.  
Amongst the many particular Churches that are at this day divided from themselves, one from another, whether in doctrine or discipline, in substance or circumstance, there is a difference in perfection; and I think no man doubteth of it, but that one Church may be of a more perfect and complete constitution, than another Church: yea we are so far from doubting any thing of this point, that every professor holdeth the Church that he is off to be the more perfect than that which he disclaimeth.   

Sect. 5.  
It being most certain that the particular divided Churches are not alike perfect; it standeth the less perfect in hand to conform itself unto that which shall by the light of God's word and good reason appear to be more perfect; both because our Saviour Christ commandeth all Christians to aspire unto perfection, saying, 
Mat. 5.48. Phil. 3.15.16 Coloss. 1.28. Heb. 6.1.  Be ye therefore perfect, as your Father which is in heaven, is perfect, and the Apostle exhorteth all men to be led forward to perfection, and because that this is the only way to knit up the Churches in Concord and Unity, and to draw them to an uniformity.   

Sect. 6.  
Amongst the particular reformed Churches: that of England is more perfect and complete in many respects then any Church reform after the fashion of Geneva, contrary to the petitioners assertion, and namely, then that of Scotland, whose form and constitution was merely Genevian, before that our sacred Sovereign divinely inspired began the second reformation thereof, tending to the conformation of it with England, or rather with the Primitive, whereunto it is much more like than the other.   

Sect. 7.  
The perfection of the english Church is apparent whether we compare her with the Church of God, and the blessed Spirits in heaven, or with the Church of God & believing men on earth, before Christ's time, in his time, or after his time: or whether we respect the warrant and authority of God's word or man's, of divinity or humanity, of Scripture or nature, of religion or reason; or whether we respect her essential perfections and parts for piety or charity, faith or repentance, devotion or reverence, illumination or sanctification, doctrine or discipline, substance or circumstance, service or ceremony, order or decency, the honour and dignity of Prince or of Pastors, with the edification and consolation of the whole people.   

Sect. 8.  
Considering that the pregnantest proof that can be brought of a particular Church's perfection, 
The Church of England more divine and Godlike than the Genevian.  and painting out as it were to the life, the analogy and affinity, likeness or resemblance, that it hath with that Church which is known to be absolutely the most divine, complete, and perfect. I shall therefore prove in this present discourse by many places of Scripture, especially of that most divine part of it called the Revelation of Saint john the divine, that the Church of England is much more divine, and far liker the Church of God in heaven, than any Genevian Church is, and therefore much more perfect, contrary to to the Petitionerslate assertion. For seeing that as oft as in praying the Lords prayer we say, 
Mat. 6.9.10.  thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven, we do desire of God with all our hearts, that his Church on earth militant, may be every day more and more conformable and like unto his Church in heaven triumphant, which we believe and confess to be the most perfect; it must needs follow that the more conform a Church on earth be unto the Church in heaven, the more it findeth and feeleth the efficacy and force of our Lord's prayer, and the nearer that it doth resemble the Church in heaven, the perfecter must it be: for that thing is the more perfect, which is the more like unto the most perfect. And that the Church of England is much liker the Church that is above, than the Genevian is, it may appear by comparing the constitutions of the two Churches together. And first I say that the Church of England is liker unto God's Church in heaven, than any other Church Genevian or Roman, as being more divine and Godlike in respect of the supreme Governor. For like as the Sovereign governor of the Church in heaven consisting of those blessed Spirits which Saint john saw almost beyond number in the presence of the throne of God serving him day and night in his Temple, 
Ruele. 4, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. & 5.8, 9, 10, 11, 14. & 7.9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 & 19.1. & 21.1, 2, 3. Exod. 15.18. 1. Sam. 8.7. Psal. 2.6. & 30 9, & 22.28. & 24.7, 8, 9, 10. & 29.10. Gen. 2.20. Exod. 3.1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. & 4.16. & 7.1. & 22.28. Psal. 82.1.6, & 95.3. & 50.1.  is such a one as is both God and King: so the Sovereign Governor of the Church of England is such a one, as is both a King and a God on earth: for in the holy Scripture we know that Kings are called Gods, as God himself is called a King. And even God himself hath called Kings by this name, & not any creature: for Adam gave all other things their names, but could not give this: for none but God can give this name. Thou shalt be to Aaron as God (said the Lord to Moses) whom he had made a sovereign Prince over his people. And again, I have made thee a God to Pharaoh: and Moses calleth the sovereign judges by the name of Gods, saying, thou shalt not rail upon the Gods, for so it is in the original, and the Psalmist to the same purpose (speaks thus) God standeth in the assembly of Gods, he judgeth among Gods: and again, he brings in the great God speaking thus of his little Gods, I have said ye are Gods, & ye are all children of the most high.   

Sect. 9  
In that Kings are called Gods, 
That the Kingly dignity is immediately from God.  we learn six notable lessons hereafter following, The first, that the kingly power is immediately of and from God, and not of man, as both Genevians and Romans most erroneously do hold: for none can make of a man a God on earth, but God in heaven, neither is it in the power of man to make one Gods servant or minister, but we must leave it unto God himself to choose and ordain his own servants. And truly if the King were ordained of man as he is for the good of man, (and therefore is by Saint Peter called an ordinance of man) the Apostle Paul would never have named him God's servant and minister, but man's. 
1. Pet. 2.13. Rom. 13.4.1. Chron, 29.23.  The King sitteth in the Lord's throne, (saith the holy Chronicler) now it belongeth not unto man to set another man in God's seat, but must let this alone for God himself to do. The throne is Gods and not man's, 
Psal. 21.3.1. Sam. 9.15, 16, 17, & 10, 1, 24, & 13, 13, 14, & 16, 1, 2. 1. King. 3.7. & 10.9. 1, Chr, 29, 29 2, Chro, 2.11 Nehe 13, 26. Dan. 4.14.23. Proverbs 8.15.16. Wisd. 6.1, 2.3. Rom. 13.1, 4.  and he that sitteth in it is God's minister and not man's, yea he is of God, called God, for man cannot make a man God, and therefore Kings are immediately from God, and not from man, an argument that all the Genevians and Romans in the world, shall never be able to answer. And therefore to shut up this first lesson (for in our work of kingly controversies, we disputeit more largely and accurately) three Kings, David, Salomor, Hiram, one Queen of Sheba, one Prince, Nehemiah, one high Priest Samuel, one chief Prophet Daniel, one principal Apostle Paul, yea Gods Angel and God himself do all of them avouch that kings are chosen of God, nominated, sent, crowned, created and set in God's throne by God himself, and not by man.   

Sect. 9  
The second lesson that we learn here is that the kingly dignity is of all other dignities absolutely the greatest and the divinest, 
That the kingly dignity is the divinest and greatest of all other. Revel. 2. & 3. Psal. 82.6. Dan. 3.26, & 6.20. joh. 15.14, 15.  and not the priestly, as both Roman & Genevians do erroneously suppose. For first as none can be greater in heaven then the God of heaven, or so great: so none in earth can be greater than he, who is called of God to be a God on earth, nor none can beso great. Secondly, as the highest style that can be given to any, is given to Kings, so a lower style is given to Prelates and Priests, for they are in the Scripture no where called Gods, but well are they named Angels, so that as the Angels in heaven are inferior to the God of heaven, so are the Angels on earth, to wit, the chief Priests and Prelates inferior unto the Gods on earth; which are Sovereign Princes: thirdly, Princes are called the children of the most high, where as Churchmen are instiled only the servants and friends of the most high. 
Psal. 21.3. 1. Chron. 29.23.  Fourthly, God putteth a crown of gold upon the King's head, and he setteth him in his own throne to sit there for God as God; so that as the Apostle (speaking of the inferiority of the Angels of heaven being compared with Christ the anointed of the Lord) saith, unto which of the Angels said he at any time, 
Heb. 1.13.14.  sit at my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool, are they not all ministering Spirits, sent forth to minister for their sakes, which shall be heirs of salvation? In like manner may it be said in this matter, touching the inferiority of the Angels on earth, that is prelate's, being compared with the Lords Christ and anointed one, the Sovereign Prince, unto which of the Angels on earth (for Prelates are called Angels in the Revelation seven or eight times) said the Lord ever, sit in my throne, 
Revel. 1.20. & 2.1.8, 12, 18, & 3, 1, 7, 14.  as he saith unto Kings? yea I have sought much in reading and could never find in old Testament, or new, in Scripture or Father Greek or Latin, that ever the Lord said, immediately or mediately unto the great Archangel himself that sitteth in S. Angel, sit thou in my throne; for no man taketh, or at least should take this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was David, or Solomon. What are the angels on earth else then, but as ministering spirits sent forth by the Gods on earth, 
2. Chro. 17, 7, 8, 9 Exod, 32.21.22. Numb. 12, 11 1. King, 1.33, 34. 2, Chton, 29, 11. Exod. 5.1, 4, 20, &, 1, 6.8, 20. &, 10, 20. & 9, 8, & 10, 3, &. 11, 10, & 12, 1. Psal, 77, 20. 2, Chron, 24, 12, 13, 14, &, 31, 13.  the Christian Ichosophats', to teach in juda through all the Cities of their kingdoms to minister the holy Sacraments to them that shall be heirs of Salvation, & to govern the Church. Fiftly, the high priest Aaron calleth the Sovereign Prince Moses his Lord: and Solomon a king is called Zadoks the high Priest Lord, Ezekiah a king calleth the priests his sons: which doth argue the superiority and majesty of kings, for the Lord is superior to his servant, and the Son inferior to his father. Sixtly, the Spirit of God every where placeth Kings before the chief Priests; Moses and Aaron, the King and jehoiada, Ezekiab the King and Azariah the chief of the house of God, and preferreth the Princely dignity before the priestly where they meet in one and the same person. Moses in Genesis, 
Gen. 14, 18, Heb. 7, 1, Exod 19.6, 1. Pet. 2.9, Revel. 1.6, &, 4.10.  and Saint Paul to the Hebrews do observe this order in Melchisedech whom they name a King and a Priest. The same Moses or rather the Lord himself calleth his people a kingdom of Priests or a royal Priesthood, as speaketh Saint Peter; and Saint, john in the Reavelation hath these words, and made us Kings and Priests unto God, and the same words are used of the four and twenty Elders. Seventh lie, 
Psal. 2, 6, &, 20, 9, & 24, 7, 8, 9, 10, & 29, 10, & 95, 3, & 98, 6, Esther 13, 9, 15, &, 14, 3, 12. Revel. 1.5, &, 15, 3, & 17, 14, & 19, 16, 1. Tim. 6, 15. Mat. 28, 18, 1. Cor, 15, 25 26, 27. Philip. 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, Heb, 2, 7, 8, 9 10, 17, 18. Revela. 1.5. & 19.16.  the greatest glory and dignity in heaven is the Kingly and the highest title or style, that is given to God in the old Testament, or to our Saviour Christ in the new, is to be called a King, a King of glory, a King for ever, a great King above all Gods, the King almighty, a king of Gods, the Prince of the Kings of the earth, the Lord of Lords, the king of Saints, and King of Kings, and thus is he called four times in the book of the divine Revelation, which is questionless the greatest and highest style, that Christ hath, and by many degrees greater and higher, than his priestly style of high priest after the order of Melchisedech: for this style he had on earth in the state of his humility, whereas he was not an actual king, until he rose, ascended into heaven, and received all power in heaven and earth, as the Sovereign King of both, at the hands of his Father, according as both Gospel and Epistle do testify. Wherefore also the kingly dignity is the greatest on earth, and such as do represent Christ in his kingly dignity as Christian kings do, are greater and more eminent than those that represent him in his Priestly dignity; 
Mat. 22, 23, Dan, 2, 34, 45. 1. Pet. 2.17.  that is then Priests, Bishops Archbishops, or patriarchs. Eightly and lastly, the honour of the king is commanded next unto the honour of Godin holy Scripture, Give unto God the things which are Gods, and give unto Caesar the things which are Casurs, saith our great Caesar, who as Daniel speaketh; is the Stone, that was without hand, cut of the mountain, of the blessed Virgin Mary, and even the corner stone of the Church. Fear God, honour the King, saith Saint Peter another stone, yea, 
joh. 1.42, Galat. 2, 9 Psal. 118, 22, Isay. 28, 16. Mat. 21.42. Mark. 12, 10. Luk. 20.17. Act. 4.11. Rom. 9.33, 1. Pet. 2, 7. joh. 1.42, Galat. 2.9,  a pillar and chief stone of the Church, whom I wish the Pope may imitate, in this and all other Christian duties. To be brief (for in our royal controversies and disputations we do handle this question more accurately, and employ besides Scriptures, the fathers, Greeks and, Latins, the Schoolmen, Philosophers, Politicians, Poets and Historians both sacred, and profane, to prove the truth of this point, against the ilearned jesuit james Gretser) in the creation of Solomon, ●t is said that the people bowed down their heads, and worshipped the Lord, and the King. So that it is more than manifest, that the King is the person next unto God, in power, dignity, honour, and authority, 
1. Chron, 29, 20.  and therefore greater: and higher than the greatest and highest priest, of them all.   

Sect. 11.  
The third lesson that we learn hence, to wit, 
That kings are not laymen but of a mixed condition.  in that kings are called Gods, is that Kings, are called of God to be nursing Fathers unto the Church, and have a special power about the things of God, and consequently that they are not mere laymen as both jesuits and Genevians, Papists and Puritans do hold, but of a mixed condition, partly Ecclesiastical, and partly civil or secular, as in our latin workbefore named shall be largely proved both by Theology, & by Philosophy & history. For the present; I say that the truth her of is apparent in Scripture, by precept made unto Kings, by the practice of kings, under the law, and by prophesy of Kings to be fulfilled under the Gospel. And first it doth appear by precept, in that Kings are enjoined in the Scripture to make themselves able for the managing of the things of God, 
Deut. 17, 18, 19 Psal. 2, 10, Wise. 6, 1. joh. 10, 34.  for they are enjoined to study God's word diligently, to read in his Law continually, to be wise and learned exceedingly: and therefore our Saviour, teacheth us that Kings are called Gods, because the word of God, was given unto them, meaning Principally, and to the end that they might govern Church and commonwealth according to God, and for God, as his vicars or deputies, on earth. Secondly it doth appear by the practice of Kings under the law, 
Exod. 39, 43. Josh. 3, & 6, & 22, 1.6. 2. Sam. 5, 6, 21 & 6, 12. 1. Kings 2, 27 35, & 5, 5. & 8.14, 15, 10, 22. 2. King. 18, 4, & 23, 4.5. & 24, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25. 1. Chron. 13, 1, 2, 3. &, 15, 1, 2, 3.4, 11, 16. 2. Chron, 15, 8, 9, 10, 16, & 17, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, & 19, 8. & 20, 3, &, 24, 4.5, 6, 7, 8, &, 29, 4, 5, 11, 15, 18, 21, 25, 27, 30, 31, & 31, 2.10, 11. 1. King. 2.27, 35, 2. Chron. 19, 11. Isay 49, 22, 23.  and not only of those that were both Princes, and Prophets, as were Moses, David and Salomen, but also of those that were mere Princes without the Prophetical gift, such as were joshnah, Asa, Ichosaphat, joash, Ezekiah, josias & Manasses; they have commanded the Priests, yea even the chief priests to do the parts of their office, and appointed them to their courses and charges, they have placed and displaced the high Priests, themselves, they have suppressed Idolatry, removed and deposed, yea put to death Idolatrous Priests, broken down the Idols, restored religion, to her purity, assembled both the priests to bring up the ark of the Lord, and the people to celebrate the passover, and to serve God, have read the law publicly in the audience of the people, proclaimed fasts, & prayed for them, and blessed them likewise in the house of the Lord. Thirdly the Ecclesiastical power of Princes doth appear by prophesy, for the evangelical Prophet Isay when he foretold the conversion of the Kings of the gentiles to the Christian faith he likewise prophesied of their Ecclesiastical place and power, of being Nursing Fathers unto the Church saying; Thus saith the Lord God behold I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people, and they shall bring thy sons (meaning the Church's children) in their arms, and thy Daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders; and Kings shall be thy nursing Fathers, and Queens shall be thy nurses. And in our Latin work of royal Controversies, we shall show how this prophesy hath been accomplished in the person of Christian Princes, Kings and Emperors, and how they have exercised that part of the Ecclesiastical power, which standeth in the supreme government of the Church. To wit that they have made laws of ecclesiastical matters, and for the confirmation of faith, have tried matters of heresy & punished heretics, rooted out & suppressed I dolatry, exhorted and converted nations to the Christian faith, instituted Bishops, and sent them to preach, placed pastors in the Church, called councils and presided in the same.   

Sect. 12  
The fourth thing that we learn of this style of God given to Kings by God himself, 
That kings are lawgivers unto their people.  is that Kings are Lawgivers unto their people, that is to say, that they have power from God to decree, and make laws for the good government of their kingdom, and not only that they are appointed for the custody, exposition and execution of laws, made or to be made by the people, as some fanatical spirits sprung from the Lemamnian lake have supposed. The people are law-takers not lawmakers, and lawkeepers, not lawgivers; for the law-giving power is a divine power, and therefore belongeth to God, or to him whom he hath called by the name of God, to make laws for God, and in his name, for the good of the people. And this doth appear by divers sound and infallible arguments drawn from God's word. First in that Moses gave laws and civil ordinances unto his people of the Hebrews, wrote, 
Exod. 18.15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26.  delivered and declared them, and appointed inferior Magistrates for the execution of them, to wit, the seventy Elders, whereby we see how that the execution of laws appertaineth to the inferior Magistrates, not to the Sovereign; but that it is his part to make laws, to give & expound them, like as it is the people's part to take them and keep them. Secondly, that Princes are lawgivers, it doth appear in that the Lord commandeth the King to write unto himself the law of God, to keep it with him, and to read therein all the days of his life. Now to what end all this? questionless, that he may learn there by to be like Moses, even a faithful servant of God in all his house, 
Numb. 12.7. Heb. 3.2.5.  and over all his house, and not only that he might keep God's law the better in his own person, but also, that he might deliver the same to his people as Moses did, 
Exod. 24.34 Deut. 17.18, 19 joh. 10.34, 35  to be observed of them: and that the laws he should make himself, might be conformable to God's laws: for as God the King almighty is the Lawgiver of Kings, so Kings, whom God hath called Gods, are the lawgivers of their people. Thirdly this doth appear in that Solomon calleth Man's law, the word of the mouth of the King, and the King's word, like as the law of God every where in the Scripture is called God's word, 
Eccl. 8.2, 3, 4. Psal 119.1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 13, 16, 17. Exod. 24.28.  and the ten commandments the ten words of God's mouth. I advertise thee to take heed to the mouth of the King (saith the Spirit of God by Solomon) and to the word of the each of God. Where the word of the King is, there is power, and who shall say unto him what dost thou? Fourthly this doth appear, in that questionless the more divine power doth belong unto the Prince, 
Psal. 82.1, 6. 1. Chron. 29.23.  to whom God hath both given his own divine name, (and not to the people) and hath set him in his own throne. Now to make a law is the most divine thing that can be done of a man, and therefore it appertaineth unto the Prince, that sitteth in God's throne, and not to the people, that stand before the throne. Fiftly the eternal wisdom saith, By me Kings reign and Princes decree justice, 
Prou. 8.15, 16  By me Princes rule, and the Nobles and all the judges of the earth: out of which place, it is more than manifest that it belongeth to Kings and rulers to make decrees and laws of justice, and to prescribe rules of upright living unto their Subjects. Sixtly and lastly it is said of Kings in the Scripture, (and to their highest commendation) that they have made certain good laws and decrees for the glory of God, and the good of their people: 
Dan. 3.29. & 6.25, 26.  thus Nabuchadnezzar King of Babel, made a decree or law, that every people, nation and language which should speak any blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Messach & Abednego, should be drawn in pieces, and that their houses should be made a jakes, and Darius' King of Medes and Persians, made a law or decree; that in all the dominion of his kingdom, men should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: and by these six arguments it is more than evident that the Prince, (and he principally) hath an affirmative voice, and not only a negative in the assembly of his estates. The which thing we shall prove likewise by political and philosophical arguments in our Latin work of Kingly controversies.   

Sect. 13.  
The fifth lesson that we learn, 
That Kings are to be liberally and honourably mainfained. Prou. 3.9, 10.  in that Kings are of God, called Gods, is this, as we must honour God with our riches, and the oblation of our hands, according as Solomon exhorteth, saying, Honour the Lord with thy riches, &c: so must we likewise honour them whom God hath called Gods, to wit, Sovereign Princes, whom when as we honour with our riches in giving them a portion thereof, for their honourable provision, than we honour God himself with our riches, as Solomon exhorteth all men to do, that would have God to bless them with abundance. And truly, if we would be loath to let God want (if he were subject to want in his own person, as man is) then ought we likewise be loath to let the Prince want, who representeth God, and therefore is called God, to teach us, that what we bestow upon him we offer unto God and in whose person God oftentimes carrieth himself as one that wanteth, and standeth in need of our help. And if we would willingly, cheerfully and without murmuring bestow upon our most bountiful Father, our goods in whole or in half, then truly we ought not to murmur or grudge to bestow upon Princes (whom God hath called by the name of the children of the most High) a convenient portion of the same, 
Psal. 82.6.  at lest for their father's sake. So that the good Christian subject when he seethe a King, especially a Christian King, and such a one as beside his divine power is adorned with the divine qualities and perfections of wisdom, bounty, justice and mercy, he ought to think with himself, that he seethe God in man's likeness, and when such a King asketh subsidy or relief at his subjects hands, they ought to show themselves, as willing and ready thereunto, as they should, if God himself in man's likeness were come down amongst men to require a sacrifice or oblation at their hands. And though it be true that that Almighty God doth not stand in need of any thing we have, (for he is all-sufficient in himself) yet we must think that it is his pleasure to carry himself oftentimes, as one that doth need in the person of the Prince, the Priest and the Poor. And this he doth, to try whether we love Almighty God and our neighbour better than our goods, or no, and to know by the effect, if we have as yet attained to this perfection, as to give unto God all that we have, if he should require it at our hands; for the man that will grudge to give a part unto God's Image and chief Minister for his sake, will never be willing to forsake all for God's sake: no he would never be willing to bestow his whole goods upon God himself, that will refuse or repine to give a part unto his chief Minister. And contrariwise, the man that doth cheerfully bestow upon the Prince, in regard that he is God's Image, Deputy and Minister, (For he is the Minister of God for thy wealth saith the Apostle and for this cause ye pay also tribute, 
Rom 13.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.  for they are Gods Ministers) doth in so doing evidently show that he loveth God better than his gold, and goodness better than his goods, and that he would make no difficulty to bestow most willingly 6all that he hath upon God, yea to forsake his whole goods for God's sake. But of this matter of the Prince's maintenance I have entreated elsewhere, in another work published some two or three years ago, called the Golden art, or the right way of enriching, dedicated to the two Royal cities of these two kingdoms, but much more copiously in another work of Kingly Controversies not as yet finished, where I do discourse of the particular manner of the maintenance of Princes amongst God's people, both according to Scripture, the judgement of divines, and Politicians, and according to the several customs of kingdoms. And there I show 1. that the sovereign Prince, is not Lord of the whole goods of his subjects, and that his right doth not extend over their whole faculties, as some flatterers of Princes do falsely and dangerously hold them in hand. Secondly, that the sovereign Prince hath a right only to a certain proportionable portion of the subjects goods. Thirdly, that as God and not man is the institutor, author and ordainer of Kings, so is he the appointer of their portion, and the prescriber of their manner of maintenance: for if God hath ordained and instituted Kings to be his Ministers and Servants, for the government of his people, as we have already showed that he hath; then must it needs be true, that the same God hath taken order for their maintenance. And truly seeing that all wise and good masters do provide for their servants, and allow them means for their sustenance and maintenance, it were a thing most unbeseeming the wisdom and goodness of God, who is the Master of masters, both for wisdom and goodness, to think that he hath not as great care, and taken at least as good order, for the maintenance of his servants, namely of Kings, as other men being masters, have taken and do take for theirs. God doth always that which is most fitting, and therefore he hath designed and ordained the particular manner of the Prince's maintenance: for it is most fitting that the master should prescribe and appoint the quantity of his own servants wages. And it was so fit that God should do it, that it was not fit nor expedient to refer the doing thereof, unto the will or discretion of man. It was not fit that it should be remitted to the will of the Prince himself, for he might perhaps require more then enough, as for example, the half, third, fourth, or fifth part of the subjects goods, neither was it fit that it should be referred to the discretion of the people; for they lightly might allow the Prince less then enough; and therefore God hath taken order for this thing himself, and not left it for man to do. 
Rom. 14.4.  For as the Apostle saith, Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? so may it be well said in this matter; who art thou that takest upon thee to share out a portion or allowance for another man's servant, yea for Gods own chief servant? doth not such an office properly belong unto God? Fourthly, that God hath set down the manner of the Prince's maintenance, and hath specified the quantity of his portion in some place of his word, and that he hath done it in the fittest place that could be for that purpose: for except it were so, it should not appear, when it is, that a Prince playeth the Exactor, for seeing that he hath a right unto a certain portion of his subjects goods (as all do grant) how shall they know, when it is that he craveth more than he ought, except there be some law to determine his portion, and to inhibit him to levy any more than the quantity thereof doth permit. In one word, Exaction in a Prince is the transgressing of God's law, and not the breaking of some human statute or decree; and therefore there must be a certain special law in God's word, touching the quantity of the Prince's portion, aswell as there is of the Priests, the one being as important as the other, and Princes being Gods Ministers and Servants aswell as Priests, and so consequently to be maintained aswell as they. Yea it behoved so much the more, because that Sovereign Princes or Kings are Gods Ministers in a higher, more eminent and honourable degree and kind, than Priests are, as hath been before abundantly showed. So that it is not likely that the Spirit of God would have omitted so important a point as this is; being such as that without the certain knowledge thereof, neither can Sovereigns nor Subjects do their duty to one another. For neither can they know when it is that the Sovereign keeps himself within the bounds of equity and moderation, or contrariwise that he debordeth into oppression, extortion, or exaction; neither yet when it is, that the subject offendeth by detention or diminution of his Sovereign's due. Seeing then it was so necessary for the quiet, just, and upright constitution of a kingdom amongst God's people, that the King's portion should be specified aswell as the Priests, we need not doubt, but that the Spirit of God hath proposed the same, some where in holy Scripture, and even in that place which was of all other the most convenient for such a purpose; and what place of Scripture so convenient as that wherein the first institution of Kings amongst amongst God's people is propounded and expounded? The which place, because some Genevians and modern divine have monstrously misconstered, I shall refute their error (God-willing) other where by 13 unanswerable arguments. And amongst other probations, we shall show it by the Hebrew Text, the chaldaic Thargums or Paraphrases, the Greek translation of the Septuagints, the Latin translations of Hieronymus, Pagninus, Vatablus, Munsterus, Leo, Montanus, with the old English, and namely, that the word MISHPAT, which is translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek, and in Latin Ius or Lex, is always taken in the Scripture, and in no fewer than 210. places for the upright judgement of God, and of the Kings and judges of the earth, and no where for unjust and tyrannical government, or for a Princes abusive power; as some modern writers have understood it most grossly in that same place of Scripture, whereupon the resolution of this question doth wholly depend: a thing which I wish our divines should well consider, that they do not run into their error; 
1. Sam. 8.9.10, 11.21, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.  in expounding those words of the Prophet Samuel. But of this more in another work. In the mean time I would entreat all good subjects to beware of charging, either now or hereafter, their Prince with the odious aspersion of Exaction, unless they can show that he requireth and receiveth more of his people, than the law of God doth allow him; but that they would honour him with their best opinion, not only of a just and upright Prince, but even of an indulgent, and beneficent Father, in case it shall be well and sufficiently proved unto them, that he is so far from the injustice, of requiring or taking from them any part of their own, that he even releaseth and giveth them a part of his own, which is indulgency, bounty and beneficence, and in a word: that he is content for his loving subjects further ease, to levy much less than God's law doth allow him, for the maintenance of himself, his chief officers in the Commonwealth and in the Court, and of his other servants at home or abroad, in peace and in war.   

Sect. 14.  
The sixth and last lesson that we learn, 
That kings are free from all manner of coercion & censure.  in that Kings are called Gods, is that Almighty God in giving them this name, even his own name, hath exempted them from all manner of violence, coercion or censure at their subjects and inferiors hands; where as our Genevites aswell as jesuits, and Caluinists, aswell as Papists do hold the contrary; for both of them will have Sovereign Princes subject to coercion, excommunication and deprivation: a doctrine and opinion, repugnant I dare say both to Theology and Philosophy, to Divinity and Humanity, as we shall (God willing) show at large other where. For the present, because in this work we thought good for solidity and brevities sake to employ only testimonies of Scripture and some reasons derived from thence, it shall suffice that we show and confute the impiety and absurdity, yea the unlearnedness and stupidity of this doctrine of Geneva and Rome, by these 17 reasons after following. The which if any Divine can answer sufficiently and sound, or bring better reason for the contrary opinion, I shall not be ashamed to change the opinion that I now hold, and subscribe to theirs, and freely confess this of mine to be as blockish and unlearned, as now I hold theirs to be. First, God himself by his servant Moses saith unto every Subject, Thou shalt not rail upon the Gods, 
Exod. 22, 28.  nor speak evil of the Ruler of thy people: if it be not lawful to rail upon the Prince, then must it be as unlawful to rage or rise up against him; and if we must beware of vehement words in his behalf, then much more, of violent deeds: and if the subjects must not speak evil of their Ruler or Sovereign, than they cannot excommunicate him: for whosoever excommunicateth a Prince, must needs speak the greatest evil of a Prince that can be, even that he is a most wicked man, and fit to be Satan's slave than God's servant. 
Ecclesiast. 10.20.  To the same purpose appertaineth that other precept or prohibition of the Spirit of God, by the mouth of Solomon, proclaimed to subjects, Curse not the Prince, no not in thy thought: if it be not lawful to curse the King, then is it not lawful to excommunicate him; 
1, Chron. 29.23. Psal. 21.3.  let both Rome rage, and Geneva jangle as much as they can to the contrary. Secondly, God hath set the King in his throne, and set on his head with his own hand a crown of pure gold; now who can say that it is fitting or comely that any man or order of men, especially subjects, and such as stand before the throne, should offer violence to him that sitteth in the throne, or put out the hand to thrust him out of the throne, or to pull off the crown that God hath put upon his head. Thirdly, It is the most high, (saith the holy Angel and the Prophet Daniel, 
Dan. 4.22.28.29. Proverb. 21.1  to King Nabuchadnezzar) that beareth rule over the Kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will: The King's heart is in the hands of the Lord, as the rivers of waters, he turneth it whither soever it pleaseth him (saith Solomon) and therefore the most high is the only Ruler, Curber, Connerter, and Scourger of Kings, and men must not be so bold, as to take Gods proper office upon them: for in so doing, they commit a greater offence against God, then doth the greatest Tyrant that can be, in plaguing and persecuting his people. For no subject, one or more, ecclesiastical or secular can meddle in such a matter as this, without impeaching God of a notable imperfection: for either they must think that God seethe not the wickedness of the tyrannous or idolatrous King, which is to deny his divine omniscience and absolute knowledge, or if he seethe it, that he careth not for it, which is to deny his divine providence, and to charge him with human negligence; or if he care for it, that he is either unable to revenge it without the hand of the Kings own subject, which is to deny his divine omnipotency, and to brand him with human infirmity, or else that he is unwilling to revenge it; which is to charge him both with injustice and want of mercy. Whence it followeth, that such subjects as would correct their Sovereign, do both make God no God, and make themselves God: in a word, such a subject is David's fool, 
Psal. 53.1.2. Thess. 2.4.  that hath said in his heart, there is no God, except perhaps himself, and so becometh such an Antichristian Anti-god, as exalteth himself both above God's God on earth the King, and above the God in heaven, in taking his proper place and office upon him. No, 
Josh. 6.8, 10, 11 12, cap. judg. 1.2.6, 7, &, 3, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 1. Sam. 13, &. 15. &. 22, & 31 1. King. 16, & 22. 2. King. 16. & 25. 2. Chron. 28. & 33. Exod. 14, 28, & 15, 4. Dan. 4.22, 28 29, 30. 1. King. 1, 2, 3, 4, 16, 17, & 15, 4, 5. 2. Chron. 26, 16, 17, 18, 19 20, 21.  God needeth not the hand of any subject, to be revenged on a wicked Prince, for he can stir up other Princes and people or foreign persons against him, as we read, that he did against these Kings of jericho, of Ai, and of the Amorites, against Adonibezek King of Canaan, Eglon King of Meab, Saul, Ahab, Ahaz, Manasseth, and Zedekias, Kings of judah and Israel: or he can make the wicked King (as it were with his own hand) execute God's vengeance upon himself: thus he suffered Saul to slay himself, and Zimri to burn himself. And as he will not employ a Princes own subjects in such a business, so he needeth not to use the hand and power of any person whatsoever; for God can drown the wicked Prince in the water or sea with Pharaoh, or he can strike him with madness with Nabuchadnezzar, or he can burst him or break his neck with Ahazias, or can strike him with leprosy like Vzziah or Azariah. The very elements, and beasts of the field are at his beck and bidding, the beasts to devour, the fire to burn, the air to infect, the water to drown, and the earth to swallow up such Princes, as God will be avenged on, yea he hath armies of painful and shameful diseases, of worms, of mice and of louse to consume and vex wicked Kings with. 
Dan. 4, 10, 11 12, 13, 14, 22 23, 28, 29, 30. & 5.6, 7, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 2. Micha. 6.9. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 11, 12, 13, 14 15, 16, 17, 18 28.  And as the Angels of God (which are his highest creatures) smote Nabuchadnezzar with madness, & drove him from amongst men, to dwell with the beasts of the field, and so deprived him of his kingdom for a time (for those Noters and Genevian Glossers are deceived, that do think his own subjects did depose him for tyranny) and as another Angel did write upon the wall, the sentence of King Belschazzars' destruction; so the worms that are the Lords lowest creatures, conspired to vex the wicked tyrant Antiochus the cruel persecuter of the jews, that he died miserably; and both these creatures together, the highest in heaven, 
act 12.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 21, 22, 23  and the lowest on earth, did at God's appointment concur to plague Herod the persecutor of the Christians, who had vexed many of the faithful, killed james and imprisoned Peter: for the Angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not glory unto God, so that he was eaten up of worms. Thus we see how God getteth glory, when he correcteth wicked Kings with his own hands, 
1. Sam 13.9, 10, 11, 12, 13 14, & 15, 1, 2 3, 8, 9, 10 11, 16, 17, 22, 23 & 19, 20, 22, 23, 26, 28, cap. 1. King. 16.30, 31, 32, & 17, 18, 19, 20 21, 22, cap, 2. King. 21, 1, 2, 3, 4.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 16 2. Chron. 33.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9  whereas he is rob of his glory by such subjects as dare take the rod, as it were out of God's hands, and put it into their own, to scourge Kings with. Fourthly, the people of God under the old Testament did not imprison or depose their most wicked Princes, such as were Saul, Ahab, and Manasses, nor did the high Priests excommunicate them for their cruelty, tyranny, apostasy and idolatry, persecution and seduction; and therefore the people of God under the new Testament ought to do the like, in following the example of their piety and patience in the behalf of bad Princes; otherwise Christians should come short of the jews in moral perfections, which were absurd. Fifthly, the constitution and creation of Kings is of God and not not of man, it is God's hand only that can make a King, according as he saith himself, By me King's reign, and as we have proved above in the first lesson, and therefore the deposition of Kings, 
Proverb. 8.15  and their coercion, belongeth likewise to God, and not to the Kings own subjects, for the power is equal in the one and the other. And therefore we see that the voice that deposed Nebuchadnezzer, came from heaven. 
Dan. 4.22, 28, 29.  Thy kingdom is departed from thee, like as the Angel and the Prophet do both of them avouch, that it is the most high that giveth the kingdom to whomsoever he will. Sixtly in the new Testament Christ and his apostles, do oftentimes command subjects to give unto Kings, but no where they bid take away or withhold any thing from Kings, howsoever unworthy, neither tribute and living by detention, nor liberty by incarceration, nor Kingship by deprivation, nor life by civil (or rather uncivil and sinful) execution, nor the benefits of the Church and kingdom of heaven, by hellish excommunication. Give (saith the King of Kings) unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, like as he had commanded, Peter his very prime Apostle to give the King's Receiver poll money for them two, 
Mat. 22, 17, 21, &, 17, 24, 25, 26, 27, Mark. 12, 14, 15, 16, 17. Mat. 10.1, 2. 1. Pet. 2.17. Rom. 13, 1, 2, 24.  give (saith he) the twenty pence unto them for me and thee, and the same prime Apostle, commandeth all subjects both spiritual and temporal persons, even as many as have Souls, (for his fellow Saint Paul saith let every soul besubiect to princes) to fear God and honour the King, Ergo subjects must not dishonour the King by coercion, incarceration, excommunication or deprivation. Yea Saint Peter's Successor himself (if he hath any) hath no power to dishonour the King, whom God hath honoured with his crown and throne, let him be never so unworthy in his conceit, nor to expose him to the dishonour, or danger of any of his subjects, by his censure of excommunication, or sentence of deprivation. Our Saviour bids give to Kings, Saint Peter gave to Kings ' and bids give them honour, and so doth S. Paul, saying, Give to all men their duty, 
Rom. 13.7.  tribute to whom ye own tribute, custom, to whom cnstome, fear to whom fear, honour to whom ye own honour. And no where they bid take away any thing from Kings: and therefore such men as take away from Kings their livings liberty or life, or the benefits of the Church, God's kingdom, or their own do disobey God, the father of Kings, and obey the devil the dishonourer, & debaser of kings. Seventhly, we do not read in God's word that ever a King was delivered unto Satan; so that it wanteth example; and as for precept, the very formal words used in the institution of excommunication by our Lord, do show that it was never intended for Kings, by the Spirit of God. For beside they were not as yet within the bosom of the Church, 
Mat. 18, 15, 16, 17.  by calling, when it was ordained, those words; If thy brother trespass against thee, If thy brother hoar thee, If thy brother hear thee not, If thy brother refuse to hear the Church also, do evidently, and pregnantly evince, that excommunication is a censure of an offending brother, 
1. Cor. 5.12.  not of the father of the people. And therefore the Apostle entreating of excommunication, extendeth it no further, then unto such a one as is called a brother. If any that is called a brother (saith he) be a formcatour, 
2. Thess. 3.13.14, 15.  or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such a one eat not, neither company together; and again, And ye brethren be not weary in well doing, if any man (to wit being a brother) obey not our sayings, note him by a letter, and have no compante with him, that he may be ashamed; yet count him not as an enemy but admonish him as abrother. And though it be true that the believing Sovereign aswell as the Subject is a brother in Christianity, and might well have been so called by our blessed Saviour, and his Apostle, yet I say it doth not appear that they understood by the title of brother in those places, but such as did then believe the Gospel, who were all subjects, for as yet there were no believing Sovereigns; yea both our saviours and the Apostles words do evince that a King though he be a believer and so a brother, yet that he can not be brought in amongst those excommunicable brothers, because the excommunicated brother must be unto the other brethren as an Heathen and a Publican, as our Saviour commandeth, that is to say, they must avoid his conversation, and decline his company, and flee his familiarity, as the Aposlle expoundeth it. But so it is that subjects can not by any means shun or abhor the presence and conversation of their Sovereign, both because of duty, and because of necessity. As for duty, the laws of nature and of Scripture, of reason and religion, of Church & State, do oblige subjects to do their duty to their Sovereign be he never so bad; and therefore they must repair unto his presence and converse with him, whensoever it pleaseth him to command. And as for necessity; subjects can not choose but repair to the Prince to have iuslice, and such other help as they sland in need of at his hands. And therefore I say, though both Rome and Geneva should join their jarring and warring wits together, yet they shall never be able to solve or satisfy this argument, 
Mat. 18.17. 1. Cor. 5.5.9.11. 2. Thess. 3.14. 1. Tim. 1.20.  all excommunicated persons presence, society and company, is to be shunned as a Heathens, a Publicans, or which is worse, as a mans delivered to the Devil. But no King's presence, society and conversation can be shunned of their subjects, for both duty and necessity bind them to the contrary. Ergo no Kings can be excommunicated: or thus; the effects of excommunication can not have place in the person of a Prince, as for example, his presence and conversation can not be declined of his subjects, without both sin and their great hurt, and therefore the censure itself hath no place in Princes. Ninthly, the excommunication of an universality or multitude, as of a whole city, Body, Commonwealth or kingdom is in the judgement of all, thought a thing unlawful; and semblably the excommunication of the Sovereign, as he that representeth the whole Body of his kingdom, must be unlawful: neither can the head be punished without the sensible hurt of the whole body. Tenthly, God is a God of order & not of disorder or confusion, 
1. Cor. 14.33.  as the Apostle speaketh, and therefore he hath not given the inferiors power to punish corporally or spiritually their superiors, for this were most contrary to order, & consequently he hath not given subjects any power upon their Sovereign, nor Priests any power to punish Princes; for both people and priests be inferiors, and their Sovereign is their superior; they are as members of the body taken severally, the commons as feet, the Nobles as hands, the Priests as eyes: or they are as the body, being taken conjunctly, but the Sovereign is as the head, higher than all the other members, and above the whole body, and as the soul more divine, excellent and eminent than the whole body; the subjects are as servants, the Sovereign as the Master or Lord, the people as the children, and the Prince as their common father. It is against good nature and order, for the inferior members to rise or rebel against the supreme member, for the body to beat or break the own head, and it is repugnant both to good nature and grace, for children to stretch forth the hand to chastise or punish their father be he never so furious. And as for the chiefen Priests and Prelates they are as Angels and Archangels, indeed, but the Sovereign Prince, is as the God of Angels and Archangels far above their reach. eleventhly, if it belongeth not unto one man or more men to beat, punish, judge or condemn another man's servant as the Apostle S. Iames teacheth, saying, Who art thou that judgest another man? 
jam. 4.12, Rom. 14.4.  and the Apostle S. Paul likewise, saying, Who art thou that condemnest another man's servant? then it belongeth much less to one man or more to judge, punish, excommunicate, depose or condemn Gods chief servant; 
Rom, 13 4.  now the Prince is God's servant, saith the same Aposlle and in the same Epistle to the Romans (and I wish that both Romans and Genevians would weigh those words better than they do) and therefore who is he that condemneth such a servant, as is not only another man's servant, but even the best man's servant, to with Christ's, and his chief servant, yea Gods servant? He standeth or falleth to his own master, saith the Apostle, and that is, neither the Pope of Rome, nor the master Minister of Geneva; but God and Christ; who will not have his servant subject to the proud censure either of the Roman Consistory, or of the Genevian Presbytery. The Apostle would not presume to judge them that are without the Church, because they belonged to God's judgement in propriety, what have I to do to judge them also which are without saith he, do ye not judge them that are within? but God judgeth them that are without, and shall we think that he would have presumed to judge those that God hath placed above the Church, I mean Christian Princes, 
1. Cor. 5.12.13.  who though they be within the bosom of the Church as Christians, yet are they without or above the reach of the hands of the Church, as the nursing-fathers' and heads of the Church on earth, under Christ the Sovereign King of the Church, whose immediate servants they are, and therefore as his peculiars are subject to nonce judgement but his only. Twelfthly, if servants must be subject to their masters with all fear, and not only to the good and courteous, but also to the froward, as the Apostle Saint Peter teacheth; 
1. Pet. 2.13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 22, 23.  then must subjects be loy all and dutiful to their Sovereign, and not only to the good, but also to the evil; for as the family is a little kingdom, and the master of the family, a little king, and the sons and servants of the family, are the subjects of this little kingdom; so is the kingdom a great family, the King the great master of this great family, and his subjects are the children and servants of the same family. Thirteenthly, if the Angels of heavens Church, from their heavenly seats and habitations, do not exclaim or give out railing judgement against Princes before the Lord, though they see and know their wickedness much better than men do, 
2. Pet. 2.10, 11  and that they be above them in dignity, power and place, as the Aposlle S. Peter doth avouch and witness; then much less must the Angels of the Church on earth, Roman or Genevian, from their earthly seats, and pulpits, Consistories or Presbyteries exclaim against Princes, be they never so wicked, or yet proclaim any railing judgement against them, seeing they are not only inferior unto the Angels in heaven which spare them, but even unto the Princes themselves, which are Gods by their place, though in their persons they were never so profane. And I wish with all my heart that the great Angel that sitteth in S. Angel, would now at last learn this Angelical lesson, of those Angelical Doctors in heaven, and of his own supposed evangelical Predecessor Saint Peter, who professeth in express words, that it is one of the properties of false Prophets to despise Princes, and to speak evil of them that are in dignity and authority; 
jude. v. 8.9, 10  Where as the Angels which are greater both in power and might, give not railing judgement against them, and the same thing is said of Saint jude. Fourtenthly, if a most holy Angel, yea even Michael, the highest Archangel durst not rail upon the devil, who is all wickedness, nor blame him with cursed speaking, when as he strone against him, and disputed about the body of Moses, as the holy Apostle Jude witnesseth, how then dare subjects, which be sinful men themselves rail upon the Prince, or how dare either the Roman Archangel that sitteth in S. Angel, or the Angelings of Geneva, from their consistory or presbytery, or yet from their pulpits pronounce any curse or excommunication against Princes, or deliver them unto the devil, though they were liker little devils, then little Gods on earth, by reason of their wicked living? And if we must not so much as rail upon wicked Kings, nor revile and diffame them with our tongues, much less must we hurt them with our hands, or offer their persons any violence. If ye love them which love you, (saith our Saviour,) and d'ye good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye, or what reward? 
Mat. 5.46, 47, Luk. 6.32, 33  do not the Publicans and sinners even the same? and the like may be said in this case, if Christians love and loyally obey such Princes as love them, and if they speak well of such governors, as do well to them, and submit themselves to such Princes as are virtuous, godly and just, what thank, or what reward have they, or what singular work do they worthy of a singular reward? do not the heathen and infidels, even the same? and as our Saviour said to his Disciples, Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and pharisees, and not only of publicans & sinners, 
Mat. 5.10.  ye shall not enter into the kingdom of God; So may it be said to Christian subjects, except your obedience, subjection & patience, in the behalf of your Princes and Rulers exceed the obedience, subjection & patience of heathen and unbelieving subjects in the behalf of their Sovereigns, ye cannot be subjects of the kingdom of heaven.  
Fifteenthly, Subjects ought to be most tender and careful of the salvation of their Sovereign, and therefore they ought not to seclude him from the use of the ordinary means of his amendment, his sanctification and salvation; as from the hearing of the word, the prayers of the Church, and the receiving of the Sacrament.  
Sixteenthly, a wicked Prince in receiving the Sacrament, either receiveth it worthily and penitently, and so is pardoned, or else unworthily and impenitently, and so is plagued of God, according to that of the Apostle, He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, 
1. Cor. 11.28.29.  eateth and drinketh his own damnation, because he discerneth not the Lords body, and so he is either made better or worse; if better, than it should not have been well done to keep him from the Communion, if worse, than God himself hath punished and plagued him with his own hand, which is much more fit, then that any of his own Subjects should presume to punish him. So that it is every way more for the glory of God and the good of the Church, that a Prince be admitted to the Sacrament, then that he be secluded therefrom; for either God's mercy is manifested, when as receiving it worthily and well, he amendeth his manners, or his justice is executed and notified, when as receiving it unworthily, he runneth into some greater sin, or incurreth some temporal or spiritual judgement, and both the ways God's glory is more and more demonstrated, and the Church edified by so notable an example. Seventeenthly and lastly, our most blessed Saviour when he exhorteth us unto perfection, (saith thus,) Love your enemies, 
Mat. 5.44, 45, 48. Luk. 6.27, 28, 35.  bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which hurt you wrongfully, trouble and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, who is kind and good, both unto the good and the evil; and the Apostle Saint Paul writing to the Romans saith the same: Bless them which persecute you, Bless and curse not, recompense to no man evil for evil, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath, for it is written, vengeance is mine, 
Rom. 12.14, 17, 19, 21.  I will repay saith the Lord. Whereof it followeth, that if Princes be our foes, which ought to be our friends, yea our fathers, and so both hate us and hurt us which are their subjects: yet we ought to love them, and help them what we can, though they do evil to us, yet we ought to do good to them, though they oppress and persecute us, yet we ought to pray for them, though they speak evil of us, yet we ought to speak well of them, though they grieve us, yet we ought not to grudge against them, though they require too much of us, and more than we can well spare, yet we ought not to refuse them, much less to resist them, or rebel against them: though they have many imperfections, yet we ought not to aggravate them, or blaze them abroad by slanderous words or infamous writes: yea rather we ought to extenuate and to lessen them, hide them, cover them, and excuse them. Finally though they seek to kill both our bodies and our souls, yet we ought to seek the preservation of their bodies, and the salvation of their souls; and in so doing we subjects shall be perfect as the children of the most high, and our reward shall be great and inestimable in the heavens.   

Sect. 15. 
The Church of England more Angelical or Angellike.   
We have showed at large the perfection of the Church of England in regard of the divine condition of the supreme Governor thereof upon earth, which is the King, whom God himself hath called by the name of God, as he that hath his royal power immediately from God, and not from man, contrary to the opinion of Romans and Genevians, and whose dignity is absolutely the greatest and divinest of all other, and much more eminent than the Priestly, contrary to the opinion of the same, and whose person and power is mixed of ecclesiastical and civil, as he that is not a mere lay-man, contrary to the opinion of them likewise, and whose Majesty and dignity is inviolable, and not liable to any kind of censure or punishment at the hands of man, spiritual or temporal, otherwise then both Romans and Genevians would make us believe, in all which points for all their jumping together, they err most grossly, and the Church of England holdeth orthodoxally. Now in the next place we shall prove the perfection of the same Church by showing how that she is more Angelical or Angellike in respect of the secondary Governors of the Church, and consequently liker unto God's Church in heaven then any Genevian Church is. For like as in the Church of God in heaven, God himself governeth sovereignly and supremely, as Monarch and King, and the archangels do govern the inferior Angels secondarily as Senators, and the twenty four crowned Elders, which are of the blessed Spirits of men do govern the inferior spirits, as we may learn by some ten chapters of the Revelation, and as all ancient Divines do deliver; so in the Church of England, the Sovereign Prince as God, and for God, doth govern it supremely upon earth, and secondarily the Archbishops, 
Colloss. 1.16, 1. Thess. 4.16.  as Archangels do preside above the Bishops, which again as Angels (and so are they called in the same Divine Revelation, seven times in two chapters) do govern the inferior Ministers of the Word and Sacraments; and these again like unto those more perfect spirits or souls of men, 
Revela. 45, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14, 15 16, & 19 cap. Revel. 2.1, 8, 12, 18, & 3, 1, 7, 14,  do govern the lay multitude of men and women. So that the Anglicane or English Church is more Angelical or Angellike than the Genevian is, which admitteth no such Angelical distinction and order of Ministers; for there they are equal, and neither like the Angels in heaven, which have their chief Princes, 
Dan. 10.13, & 12.1. Ju●e vers. 9 Revel. 12.7. Colos. 1.16. Revel. 9.11. & 12.7.  and their inferiors, as namely, Michael the Archangel and his Angels; even Thrones, Domimons, Principalities, Powers, as the Apostle speaketh, nor like the Devils in hell; which are better ordered, as having a distinction of degrees, for the Angel-king of the bottomless pit, otherwise called the Dragon, hath many black Angels under him; whence it followeth that the Anglicane Church as being the more Angelical or Angellike is perfecter than the Genevian by far.  
And truly I can not wonder enough of this parity of theirs from whence they had it, for it is more than manifest, that they had it not from heaven, nor yet from hell, as hath been before showed; belike they have learned it of the Grasshoppers, that leap about the banks of the Lemannian lake, for they have no King, yet go they forth all by bands saith Solomon. From the Church of God under the law they had it not, for they had their high Priests their principal or chief Priests, and their inferior Priests, 
Exod. 28. Levit. 8. Numb. 3. &, 4, &, 8, &, 18, 1. Chron. 9 & 15, & 16, &, 24, & 25, & 26 2. King. 23. Nehem. 12. Heb. 5, 5, 6, 10 Mat. 10, 1, 2, & 28, 16, Mark, 3.14, & 6, 7, Luk. 6, 13, & 9, 1, Act. 1.22, 16, & 2, 14, &, 6, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, &, 8, 5, 6, 14, 15, 16, 17, &, 19, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 Cor. 12.28, 29. Ephes 4.11.12.  and likewise among the Levites some were superiors, and some inferiors, some were as Lords and chief Fathers, and other some as sons and followers. Nor had they their parity and equality of Church Ministers from the Church of God under the Gospel, such as it was in the days of Christ and his Apostles, for our Saviour himself was as the high Priest, the Apostles as the chief Priests, the seventy Disciples as the inferior Priests, and the Deacons as the Levites: and no man that hath his right wits, will say that the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Pastors mentioned by the Apostle Paul as ordained of God in the Church, were all equal in dignity and office. Neither had they their parity of pastors from the Church, such as it was after the Apostles days, for within the first five hundredth years we read in the Ecclesiastical histories, how that the Church was governed by patriarchs and Arch bishops representing the twelve Apostles, and by Bishops representing the Evangelists. Yea in the very Apostles days, there were Bishops which had under them inferior Pastors, as S. james Bishop of lerusalem, S. Peter Bishop of Antioch, S. Paul Bishop of Rome, S. Mark Bishop of Alexandria: and if we will not believe the Ecclesiastical history of the Primitive Church, yet let us believe the Epistles of the Apostle Paul, who enstileth Timothy the Evangelist, 
2. Tim. 4. Tit. 3. 1. Tim. 5.22, Tit. 1 5,  the first Bishop of the Church of Ephesus, and Titus another Evangelist, first Bishop of the Church of the Cretians, and testifieth that by virtue of their function, they did ordain presbyters or inferior pastors in those Churches, for ordination argueth demonstratively the superiority of the ordainer, and the inferiority of the ordained, 
Act. 20, 17, 18 1. Tim. 3.1, 2, &, 5.17, 19, Tit. 1 5.6, 7,  and without such inequality, their can be neither ordination nor order. And though it be true that in the Scripture, the names of Bishop and Presbyter or Pastor, be taken indifferently for one and the same office, yet that doth argue only that every Pastor or Presbyter is and may be called a Bishop in respect of his people or parish, over which he is placed, so that he may be called a Bishop above the Laity, but it doth not argue that their were no superior Bishops above those Bishops of the Laity; to ordain, order and direct them, which were Bishops of a more eminent degree, and distinct from the other; these Bishops, Presbyters and Pastors above the Clergy, and those Bishops, Presbyters and Pastors above the Laity, and consequently inferior unto the former, wherefore I could wish that learned men would not lean so much as they do, to that argument taken from the indifferency of those two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seeing the question and controversy is not verbal but real, for the question is not, if all the Ministers of the Church may be called by the common name of Pastor, Presbyter and Bishop; but if all those that are called by the common name, aught to be of equal dignity and authority? or whether or no there aught to be amongst the multitude of Ministers, some superiors to govern, and some inferiors to be governed, for good orders sake, and to be called for distinctions sake, by different names, applying or appropriating the common name of Bishop to the superior, and the common name of Presbyter, Priest or Pastor to the inferior? And truly in the time of my own Puritanisme and Genevisme, I was wont to press this verbal argument as much as any man, to prove thereby the parity of pastors; and there is not another argument to that purpose worth a pin; but in the end I found it both fallacious and frivolous, for in the Scriptures, Kings, Apostles, 
Act. 6. Rom. 13, 4, 1. Cor. 4, 1. Colosi. 1.25, 1. Thess. 3.2, 1. Tim. 3.8.12  Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Deacous are called by the common name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, Ministers or servants of God, and yet their Ministrations and services are not of the same nature, nor of equal dignity, and the two names of presbyter or elder being referred to office and not to age, and of Governor or Ruler or Overseer, are conucrtible; for every Elder is a Governor, and every Governor is on Elder, and yet the Elderships and Governments are distinct; 
Numb. 11, 16.17, Ezra. 10.8, Luk. 22.66, Act. 20.17,  for some are called Lay-elders or elders of the people, to wit, in temporal matters, and those were the Magistrates of the lewish Commonwealth, and others are called Elders of the Church, to wit Governors of the people, in spiritual matters; as Ministers of the Word and Sacraments; so that both the one and the other were Elders and Governors, and yet they were of different and distinct kinds, the one temporal Elders and Governors of the people, in the Commonweal, the other spiritual Elders and Governors of the same people in the Church; and semblably, these spiritual Governors of the Church and Ministers of the word, both Bishops and Presbyters or Priests, are called by the common name of Presbyters, Priests and Elders, and likewise by the common name of Episcopi, Bishops, Superintendents or Overseers, and yet they differ both in the object of their office, and in their degree: for the one are chief Priests & Elders of the Church, and the other are inferior Priests and Elders of the same Church; the one are Bishops, Superintendents and Overseers of the Laity or people in spiritual things, but the other are Bishops, Superintendents and Overseers of the Clergy, as well as of the Laity; and of their inferior priests and pastors, aswell as of the people in the same spiritual things. In a word, the Church of God being the best ordered Body that can be, behoved to consist of Superiors to govern, and of Inferiors to be governed, to wit, of these two ranks, Clergy and Laitte, and as the Laity was to be governed by the Clergy, as the children by the fathers, and scholars by their masters; so the Clergy being a great multitude was to have order and government in itself, and therefore behoved to consist of superiors and inferiors likewise And to these overseers of the Church were assigned different names and titles for distinctions sake; the Overseers or Rulers of the Church in the quarters of the world, were called patriarchs, the Overseer and Ruler of the Church of a whole kingdom was called a Primate, the Overseers and Rulers of the Clergy or Church in the several Provinces of a kingdom were called Archbishops, and the Overseers or Rulers of the same Clergy in a diocese or shire, were called Bishops, like as the Overseers of the Laity or people in a parish, were called Presbyters, Priests or Pastors, for in the last Section of this work; wherein we do entreat more at large of the honourable titles and maintenance of the ministery, we show likewise, how that the Ministers of the Gospel, ought not to disclaim the honourable style and title of Priests. Thus we see how that there must needs be imparity and inequality amongst Ministers, except we mean to make them a multitude without order and government, or else give them from Geneva Lay-governours; for amongst them, the Elders of the Church which be lay men, being more in number (to pass over their Lay-deacons) do govern the Ministers being the smaller number; judge and censure them, both in life and doctrine; and so are they well served, because they refused to be governed by men of their own order, to wit, by Bishops, therefore God hath given them over to be deluded, derided, debased, and dishonoured by the Lay government of those whom they ought to govern and rule as the Shepherd his sheep, the father his children, the schoolmaster his scholars, for amongst the Genevians it is quite contrary, where the Lay-elders as being more in number, do overrule the Ministers as hath been said. But thanks be unto Almighty God; for raising up a jacob from the North, 
Isay. 41.8, 9, 25. Revel. 1.20. & 12.7  and calling him from the ends of the earth to do him service in restoring of his Church in the North, to the ancient Angelical form, and in banishing out of it, the Grashopper-government of Geneva; and let all Britain's, North, and South, 
Proverb. 30.27.  even as many as do love the likeness of jerusalems' Angels, better than of Genevian Grasshoppers, say Amen.   

Sect. 16  
Thirdly the Church of England is more like the Church in heaven for holiness, than the Genevian is; 
The Church of England more heavenlike for holiness. Isay 6.1, 2, 3 Reul. 4. & 5.8, 12.13. & 7.15  for in heaven the Angels and blessed Spirits keep every day holy, incessantly praising God and saying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole world is full of his glory, so saith the evangelical Prophet Isay in the old Testament, & divine S. john in the new saith, that they cease not day nor night to say and to sing, holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, which was, and which is, and which is to come, & that they serve him day and night in his Temple, saying, Praise and honour and glory and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever more, and the four said Amen. Now the Church of England is far holier than the Genevian, because the Genevians are not so holy as the jews were, nor have not so many holy days as they had: for besides the two and fifty Sabbaths of the year, 
Exod. 12.14, 15, 16, 17, 18. & 13.6.7. & 20.8, 9, 10. & 23.12, 14, 15, 16, 17. & 38.18. Deut. 16. Ester 9.17, 18, 19, 21, 26, 27, 28, 29. 30, 31. 1. Machab. 4.43, 44, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59  which are the Genevian holy days, they had other holy days, and festivities, which they did observe, as of the Passeover, of the first fruits, of Tabernacles, and of Purim instituted by Queen Ester and Mordecai, and of the dedication of the Altar, instituted by Machabaeus. But the English like good Christians, which should not come short of the jews in doing of holy duties, but either match them or surmount them, have beside the two and fifty. Sundays of the year, set apart to the performing of holy duties, about thirty holy days more, in honour of God and of our Saviour Christ: and moreover they have in divers places, as namely, in Cathedral Churches frequent holy assemblies, yea daily, for the holy service of God morning and evening, and in other Parochial Churches, they have holy assemblies for God's service on Wodnesday, Friday, and Saturday, every week throughout the year, and besides these, they have frequent holy assemblies on other days of the week, upon the religious occasions of Christen, Weddings, Burials, Mind days, and Lectures, where the people pray and praise God, and hear the word of God read or expounded in a Sermon. So that if there be any holiness placed in praying unto God, and in praising of his name publicly in the congregation, a thing which no man that is in his right wits will deny, or if holiness of life may be helped any whit by such frequent assemblies and Sermons, it must needs follow that the Church of England hath more holiness than the Genenian, because she hath many more of such holy assemblies for service and sermons, prayers and praises then the other hath. And that these were observed in the primitive Church within the first five hundredth years, many holy days besides the Sunday, and even the same that are at this day observed in England, we shall prove it more particularly by alleging the testimonies and authorities of the Church Greekes and Latins in another work called Dies Domini; which containeth divers disputations, and discourses upon the times of the world's beginning, lasting, ending, according to the Scriptures, and the opinions of Hebrews, Greeks' and Latins, Divines, Philosophers, Historians and Schoolmen; and in it we do also entreat of the holy times of the Church. But because that many do so misconceive of holy days, as if they were only fit for the Pope's holiness, and for hypocrites, which is as damnable and devilish opinion as ever hell hatched in the disgrace of true holiness, without which, the Apostle saith, 
Heb. 12.14.  no man shall ever see God; therefore let me entreat and beseech my Countrymen for the most holy God's sake, to ask them these few questions. First, if the attaining of holiness, and the doing of religious duties be not the chief end of good Christians in this life? which I hope will not be denied. Secondly, if religious assemblies, and holy meetings be not the proper means of attaining unto true holiness? the which I take will be granted. Thirdly if the frequency of such holy assemblies, be not in all likelihood a more ready and easy means for men to attain unto holiness, and to do religious duties, than the rarity thereof? in a word, which of the two is most likely, that a man should attain unto true holiness by repairing unto holy assemblies or places, often or seldom? and me thinks no man that is in his good wits will deny, but that often repairing to the holy house of the most holy God, for the doing of holy duties, as to pray unto God for ourselves, and for others, to praise his name for benefits and blessings, spiritual and temporal, to sing Psalms, to hear God's word, and the Sermons of his servants, and the like is a more direct means to attain unto holiness, than seldom repairing as namely once in the week. Lastly, I demand, if it were not an excellent thing, and a happy condition, if men could set apart, a part of every day in the year to God's service, and to meet together in the holy Congregation, for the performing of such holy duties: and if the necessities of human life will not let us have the leisure to do so, if at least the next best is not to be done, which is to have as many holy days as possibly we can, and as better one than none, so better more, than one only; and many than few: that so we may the more neetely resemble those Church-members in heaven, which keep every day holy, according as we do pray daily, taught by our Lord, saying, Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, (that is in the Church militant) as it is in heaven, or in the Church triumphant.   

Sect. 17.  
Fourthly, as the Church of England is more like the Church of God and Angels for heavenly holiness, 
The Church England more heaven like for humble reverence.  than the Genevian is, so is she more like the same in heavenly and humble reverence, and in the expression thereof by religious gestures. In the Church of God and blessed spirits, the Angels and Saints are painted out, covering their faces, standing before the throne, kneeling and falling before it on their faces, uncovering of their heads, and casting of their crowns before the throne, and most submissly worshipping of God, 
Isay. 6.1, 2, Ezech. 1.24, 25, & 10, 3, 19 Dan. 7.9, 10, Zach. 6, 4, 5, job. 1.6, & 2, 1. Revel. 4, 10, & 5, 8.14, & 7, 1, 9, 10, 11, 12, &, 8, 2.  as we may read in the prophecies of Isay, Ezechiel, Daniel, Zacharie, in the book of job, and in the Revelation of S. john in many places: for S. john beheld and saw a great multitude, which no man could number of all nations and kindreds, and people and tongues, standing (not sitting) before the throne, and before the lamb, and saying with a loud voice, Salvation cometh of our God, that sitteth upon the throne, and of the lamb. And he saw all the Angels likewise standing round about the throne, and the Elders kneeling: yea falling before the same throne on their faces, and worshipping God and saying; Amen, Praise and glory, and wisdom, and thanks, and honour, and power, and might be unto our God for evermore, Amen. And in the Church of England answerably hereunto, the Preachers do reverently uncover their heads, not only in praying, but also in preaching and expounding Gods words, and in the orations or sermons, in honour of his name, like as those holy Elders or Priests in heaven do, which uncover their heads, and cast their crowns before the throne: whereas the Genevians and French in preaching, do unreverently cover their heads, and not with a Church cap or bonnet (which were more tolerable) but with their ordinary and usual hats, more like miller's or maltmen, than God's Ministers; though in Scotland I confess they follow the godly and comely fashion of England in preaching, with their heads uncovered, and not the capped custom of Geneva: and God grant they may do so in many other matters, where they have as good reason, and namely in kneeling humbly, not only in making confession of their sins unto God, but also at the repetition of the law of God, or ten commandments, as they do in England, and in standing up reverently in making confession of their faith, at the rehearsal of the Creed, and at the reading of the Gospel. The which gestures are to be used, both for reverence and for signification; for reverence because their is no man so ignorant or blockish, but understandeth that kneeling and standing up are much more reverent, humble and respectful gestures then sitting, and therefore in the doing of such religious duties to God wards, are to be used. And for signification, because that as by kneeling at the rehearsing of the law, we do profess and confess our misery and wretchedness, occasioned by the fall in the first Adam, and do humbly ask God mercy, for transgressing his commandments; so by our standing up at the reading of the Gospel, or rehearsing of the Creed, or articles of faith, we profess and acknowledge that our rising after the fall, and our standing by Grace, were caused by the second Adam Christ. So that by these reverent and significant gestures, we do put ourselves in mind of the chief matters, that concern salvation, we show how that we stand in God's favour by faith, as also we declare and notify, how that we ought to be always ready to defend the faith. And truly the man that will not do so much as stand up reverently upon his feet, when the Minister maketh a public confession of faith in the name of the people, doth argue that his faith wanteth the feet of devout affections, and ten to one, but it wanteth likewise the hands of charitable actions. He himself loveth sitting, and I fear me, lest his faith love too much creeping or lying along upon the ground, whereunto it is as it were tied by the tail, so that he can not mind heavenly matters. Moreover in the Church of England, they use reverently to uncover their heads, and bow or kneel at the naming of jesus, in resemblance of the holy Elders in heaven, which uncover their heads, and bow before the Lamb Christ jesus, as said is, and that both in imitation of the first Christians, within the first five hundredth years, and because the holy Apostle doth join the bodily obeisance of bowing or kneeling at the name of jesus, with the duty of the tongues Confessing of his name: for writing to the Philippians, thus he saith, Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto the death of the cross. 
Philip. 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.  Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and given him a name above every name, that at the name of jesus, should every knee bow, and that every tongue should confess, that jesus Christ is the Lord unto the glory of God the Father. Christ this only Son of God, had humbled himself as man, for man's sake below all men, and therefore God the father exalted him as man above all men, 
Heb. 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 1. Cor. 15, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 1. Tim. 6.15, Revel. 17.14, & 19, 16, & 1, 5.  and made him the head and Monarch, both of men and Angels, the King of kings, and Lord of lords blessed for ever, as the same Apostle otherwhere teacheth. And this his royal exaltation, all Christians are bound to acknowledge, by Confession of Tongue, and by the obeisance or bowing of the body, and the uncovering of the head. And that it is a Christian and a commendable custom, I prove it thus: All action or gesture, that declareth the subjection of the creature to jesus Christ, as the King of all mankind, must needs be a Christian and commendable gesture or action; But the bowing of the body or knee, and the uncovering of the head at the pronouncing of the name of jesus, are gestures and actions declaring our subjection to jesus, as the King of mankind, especially of his Church, and therefore they are Christian and commendable. Again, it becometh good Christians to take all occasions they can of performing Christian duties; now it is a Christian duty, and one of the chiefest, to thank God for the work of our salvation, for loving us so dearly; as that he would give his only begotten Son to be our Saviour, and to express our thankfulness by some religious and reverent gesture. Now what better occasion can there be offered of doing this duty, then when we hear that name pronounced, which signifieth a Saviour, and putteth us in mind of our Salvation, as the ringing of the bell putteth us in mind of coming to Church, and which is both his proper name, his royal name, and therefore to be civilly honoured, his divinest name, and therefore to be religiously worshipped, and of all his other names the most comfortable to miserable mankind? In a word all Christians are bound to honour, magnify and bless God's name at all times, in all places, and upon all occasions, but especially and principally in the public congregation, when we hear his principal and most majestical name pronounced, which is jesus, under the Gospel to Christians, as jehovah was under the law to Jews. Lastly, to conclude this point of the English Churches Reverence, I say that it appeareth yet more, in their religious gesture used in receiving the holy Sacrament, which they do not standing, as at some hunter's breakfast with the French, nor sitting as an ordinary supper with the Scottish, but humbly kneeling and bowing upon their knee as God's humble guests, acknowledging themselves unworthy to stand or sit down at his Table, so long as we are in this life loaden with sin, and do want the wedding garment, of such perfect and inherent righteousness as we shall have in the kingdom of heaven; where we shall have the honour to sit down with the Lamb at God's board: for than we shall be made his glorified guests, when we shall be fully freed from sin, 
Revel. 19.7, 8, 9 Mat. 15.22, 23 24, 25, 26, 27 & 22, 11, 12,  and arrayed in the white robes of inherent righteousness, as it is in the Revelation. Whereas so long as we are here upon earth, we cannot for our life, quite cast off old Adam's skin-coat of origin all corruption, nor yet put off perfectly the rotten rags of actual unrighteousness; which makes us with the Cananite to creep (as it were) under Christ's Table, and to be content for the time of this sinful life to gather up the crumbs. But because that our Genevits for all that, are disposed to be as bold & homely at the Board of heaven, as they are in their own houses, & do condemn this reverent gesture of kneeling, therefore I must entreat my dear Countrymen to give me leave to ask them a few questions. And first, if it be not only lawful, but also convenient and necessary to receive the Sacrament with the greatest reverence and humility that can be, and I think it will not be denied? Secondly, if it be not lawful, yea convenient and necessary to use some one external gesture or other in receiving the Sacrament, which I take will also be granted? Thirdly, if it be not only lawful, but also convenient and almost necessary to use that gesture which doth most signify and declare, and usually accompany the greatest humility and reverence? and what other gesture can this be but kneeling, which is more reverent than standing, like as this is more reverent than sitting? and therefore Saint john saw the four and twenty Elders first sitting upon seats, then rising and standing, 
Revel. 4.4, 10. & 5.6, 7, 8, 14  and after that falling down or kneeling before the Lamb, in imitation whereof, all good Christians ought to kneel before the holy Lamb, when they receive his blessed body as it were, out of his own heavenly hands, for the spiritual food of their souls, which do assuredly feed upon his flesh by faith in a mystical, spiritual, and sacramental manner. Again, I ask of our Genevites, if it be not lawful to thank God in receiving of the Sacrament of thanksgiving which I think will not be denied? In the next place I ask if it be not lawful to use in our thanksgiving, the gesture that the servants of God have always used in their other religious thanksgivings? and if not, why shall that gesture which is lawful in all other religious thanksgivings, be unlawful in this? and if it be lawful in this aswell as in all other than let them show me what other gesture it was but kneeling? and if kneeling be the fittest gesture for the expressing of a most humble thanksgiving, such as we should offer unto God in this Sacrament of thanksgiving, then why do we not kneel with the Church of England, rather than sit, or stand after the homely, yea unholy and unhumble manner of Geneva.   

Sect. 18.  
Fifthly, 
The Church of England more heanen-like for harmony. Revel. 5.8, 9 & 14.2, 3. & 15.2, 3, 4. & 19  the Church of England is more like the Church of God in heaven, for heavenly harmony, than the Genevian is; for in God's Church in heaven, those holy and unspotted Priests are painted out in seven or eight places of the Revelation, singing new songs unto God in most melodious manner, both with voices and instruments, and namely with haps: and answerable thereunto in the English Church we have the harmonious consort and musical concord of voices and instruments, especially of Organs in the praising of God with Hymns, Psalms and songs. The which kind of musical instrument being as it were animated with the melody of Singing-mens' voices, doth most of all other represent that which Saint john heard in heaven, like a voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of strong thunderings saying and singing, HALLELVIAH. Of the which mystical music, I shall (God willing) deliver many notable considerations, and most comfortable Contemplations in our work called Dies Domini. And there I shall prove both by Scriptures and Father's authority, and by irrefragable reasons evidency, the lawfulness and commendableness of the musical consent of voices and instruments in the service of God; and that the alternative Church singing of the Choir, divided into two parts, is conformable unto the manner of the heavenly Church's music, as may be gathered out of the prophecy of Isay, who in his vision of the majesty of God and his glorious Seraphims, 
Isay. 6.1, 2, 3,  saith that one cried to another and said, holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts, the whole world is full of his glory. And truley the Doctors of the Church, and other ecclesiastical writers do witness in express words, as shall be showed in our said work, that the first Christians were wont to sit one for against another, as we see they do now adays in the Choir, and to invite or cohort alternatively or by turns, one another to the praising of God, by singing of Psalms. So that I cannot but wonder how our Genevians can say any thing against so ancient and christian a custom, or yet against the using of some instruments in the singing of Psalms, especially when as the word Psalm doth signify either the melody of the instrument or Organ alone, or else the harmony of the instrumental noise and the musical voice going together; so that indeed there cannot be a Psalm, there may well be a Song without an instruments sound, and if we have our Psalms originally from jerusalem, and not from Rome, from the Prophet David and not from the Pope, why may we not with the same David use in struments and organs, especially when as the Spirit of God by him exhorteth men thereunto, so often in the same Book of the Psalms, which we read and sing every day, in our Churches? yea with such an exhortation he shutteth up his Psalms, saying, Praise ye him with Virginals and Organs. 
Psal. 150.4. 1. Cor. 14, 26 Ephes. 5.18, 19, 20, Coloss. 3.16.  And that we might know that the praising of God upon instruments, was not a mere lewish Ceremony, and to last only until the coming of Christ, and no longer; the Apostle Saint Paul writing to the Corinthians, showeth that the Christians in his time, in their assemblies, were wont to sing Psalms, that is to say, to join the melody of instruments with spiritual hymns and songs, for somuch doth the word Psalm in Greek signify: and therefore the same Apostle distinguished between Psalms and Songs, both in his Epistle to the Ephesians, and in his Epistle to the Colossians, where he exhorteth the faithful to the melodious singing of Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs. But if neither the example of king David and the Church of jerusalem, both in King David's time and Saint james the first Bishop thereof, nor the practice of the Primitive Church within the first 500 years, can induce us to a liking of this kind of Church music and of Organs melody; yet let this move us to like it, that the Pope doth dislike it, for otherwise he would not want Organs in his chapel, as he doth, whereof I gather this new argument in favour of Organs, at least for the King's Chapel. If it be fit that our King's Chapel, be unlike unto the Popes, then is it fit that their Bee Organs in our King's Chapel, for there are none in the Popes; but the former is fit at least in the opinion of Puritans and Precisians, which would feign, we were unlike the Pope in each indifferent thing, and therefore the latter is fit likewise.   

Sect. 19  
Sixtly, 
The Church of England more heavenlike for habit.  as the English Church, is more heavenly for harmony, and therein resembleth nearer the Church of God and Angels, than the Genevian doth, so is she more heavenly, for habit. The ministers of the triumphant Church, even those blessed spirits, that do offer up incessantly the sweet incense and sacrifice of praise unto God, are said to be suited in pure white linen, as we may read in the Revelation in some ten or eleven places in six several chapters, 
Revel. 3.4, 5.18, & 4, 4, & 6, 11, & 7, 9, 13, 14, & 15, 6, & 19, 8, 14, Dan. 10.5, & 12.6, Ezech. 9.2.3, Mat. 28.1, 2.3 Mark. 16.5, john 20, 12  besides that the Angels when ever they assumed human shapes, always appeared in white, as we may read often, both in the old and new Testament. For this colour hath been in all ages, and in all Churches thought the most comely, and convenient to be used in the doing of divine service, and the most suitable to sanctity purity and glory. Answerably whereunto in the Church of England, our evangelical ministers, when they do divine service, or celebrate the Sacraments both for distinction and decency, and likewise for a signification of purity and sanctity, do put on a white linen garment commonly called a Surplice, and the Bishop beareth and weareth a white Rotchet; where as our Genevians are all for Baal's and Beelzebubs black, and had rather be in habit like hell then heaven, rather like the Angels of the bottomless pit, which dwell in darkness, and whose loathsome livery is blackness, then like the Angels of Paradise, which dwell in brightness, and whose livery is light, and whiter than the finest and purest . But, white, say they, must be abandoned, because it hath been abused in Popery; and by the like reason, black should be forborn because Baal's priests have abused it to idolatry, and had the name of Chemarims, 
2. King. 23.5, Hos. 10.5.  because they wore black garments, or Gonevagownes in their ministration, witness the very Geneva note itself upon the place marked in the margin. But it is a thing resolved amongst all the judicious and wise, that the abuse of a thing, doth not take away the right use thereof, and that the children of the Church are not tied to be unlike unto the very enemies of it, 
Revel. 13.11.  and idolaters in every thing. For we may read in the Revelation, how that Christ and Antichrist are to resemble one another in some things; for the Beast is said to have two horns like unto the Lamb. 
2. Cor. 11.13 14, 15. Mat. 7 15, &. 10, 16.  And S. Paul unto the Corinthians telleth us that Satan will be like unto the Angels of light in some things, and his false Apostles and Ministers, will be like unto the Apostles and Ministers of Christ: and in the Gospel of S. Matthew, the Apostles and Ministers of Christ are likened to sheep, and the very false Prophets will be like them in somethings, for they come in sheeps clothing. So that both Gospel and Epistle besides prophesy, may teach the Ministers of Christ, not to forsake their own livery, which is white, wherein they resemble God and his Angels, and the blessed spirits, because that others perhaps do abuse it; yea rather because that some do so, the Ministers of Christ ought to use it still, to the end that by their example such as do abuse it, may be brought to use it aright, and so should we do in other ceremonies of the like nature.   

Sect. 20.  
Seventhly, 
The Church of England more heavenlike for local decency Churchimplements conveniency, church-service solemnity & sacramental ceremony. Revelat. 3.12 & 7.15, & 11 1, 2, 19, & 14, 15, 17, & 15, 5, 6, 8, & 16, 1, 7, 17, & 21, Psal. 45, 13, 14 Isay 60, 13, 17. Revel. 4.1. 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, & 5, 1, 6, 7, 11 13.  the Church of England is liker the Church that is in heaven then the Genevian is, in local decency, Churchimplements conveniency, in church-service solemnity, and in sacramental ceremony. And this is true, whether we look unto the costliness and comeliness of the Churches of England, which are much liker that stately Temple and glorious golden city new jerusalem described in the Revelation, then are the base contemptible buildings after the Genevian form. For we must remember how that though the Church be all glorious within, yet all her glory is not within, but a good part of it is without, or to be seen and discerned by the eye, as the royal Prophet teacheth, and the evangelical Prophet testifieth, foretelling that God was to have his house and the place of his feet amongst Christians, to be glorious both for matter and manner, structure and furniture. Or whether we look more particularly unto the splendour and magnificence of the King's Chapel, much like unto that stately Throne which blessed S. john saw, set in heaven for the almighty King to sit on, or yet of the Cathedral Churches, the Seas of the reverend Bishops, much like unto those four and twenty seats round about the throne, whereon the four and twenty Princely and Priestly Elders do sit: or whether we look unto the conveniency of the seats of the Choir in each Cathedral Church, appointed for the holy singing men to sit in; who like unto those holy Elders, and the younger Choristers, again, like unto those Harping Virgins, which follow the Lamb, and do sing most sweetly before the throne and the Elders, both joining their melodious voices together make a sweet consort, and send forth Psalms and Songs of praise unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, to be lauded for evermore. And as the hearts of these our singing Elders, and Virgin-yongers, are like those haps of God, which Saint john saw in the hands of the Elders and youngers in heaven; so the holy, heavenly and harmonious anthems and accents of these haps or Hearts, being strung and tuned by Gods own finger, conjoined with the musical and artificial thunder of our Church-organes, do most resemble the heavenly harmony which Saint john heard as the sound of many waters, and as the sound of strong thunderings, and as the voice of haps, harping with their haps, and singing and saying, HALLELVIAH; the which kind of harmony such Genevian ears as can not endure here on earth, had best to stay still about the brinks of the Lemannian lake, and hold as far from heaven, as they possibly can: for what a gods name should they do in heaven, except they loved heavens harmony, even our Churches musical melody, better than they do? And as our comely Churches do resemble the corners, courts and chambers of the stately Temple, that Saint john saw opened in heaven, our King's Chapel, the heavenly King's throne, our Cathedral Churches, those Princely and Priestly Elders seats, our harmonious Organs, those heavenly haps which Saint john saw in the hands of those skilful Choristers some like old men, and some like young boys, and so well resembled by ours, and as our Choristers Psalms and Songs, do resemble their new songs, 
Revelat. 8. &, 9 &, 10, 5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8  and as they are most like one another in their white habits, & heavenly HALLELVIAHS, so do our Church-belles and chimes resemble those Angelical trumpets and thunders seven in number, which blessed Saint john heard, our Church-Bible answereth to that great sealed Book, our Service and Psalme-booke to that little opened book, our evangelical Priests reading of the Bible to the Lambs reading, and unsealing of that sealed Book, 
Revela. 1.2.8 9, 11, & 14, 1 6.7, & 21, 14, & 22, 1, 3,  our Church angelspreaching of the Gospel, to the Preaching of Angels which Saint john heard, the Pulpit answereth to Mount Zion, whereon he saw the Lamb standing, or rather to that Tree of life, bearing twelve manner of fruits; for from thence the word of life is delinered by the learned and reverend Bishops, as it were from the mouth of the Lambs, twelve Apostles, twelve times in the year, the first Lord's day of every month. To be brief our Church-font with Holy-water for the celebration of Baptism, doth answer unto that glassy Sea or river of water of life clear as crystal proceeding out of the throne of God, & of the Lamb, our evangelical Priests Crosse-siguing the baptised on the forehead, and our Angelical Bishops sealing and confirming of the Virgin servants of our God (which by Baptism had been bathed and washed, 
Revela. 4.6. & 6.9, &. 7, 2, 3.4, & 14, 1, 2, 3, 4.  and so made fit to follow the Lamb) do answer unto the Angels signing and sealing of the Servants of God on the forehead; our Sacrament all holy bread of life, answereth to that hidden Manna of heaven, promised to him that overcometh; our Lord's supper to the lambs supper; 
Revela. 2.17. & 6.9, & 8, 3, 4, 5, & 19, 13 & 11, 1, 19, & 19, 9  our Church golden and silver Basins and Cups for the ministration of the holy Sacrament, to the Angels golden Censer; and our Church, Table for the ministration and celebration of the same Sacrament, answereth unto the Golden Altar which Saint john saw before God's throne. And who can say otherwise but that a Font and a Church-Table are two implements or instruments, as requisite to be in every Church for the ministration of the Sacraments, as a Pulpit is requisite for the delinerie of Sermons, and for the reading and preaching of the word. And thus have I made it apparent, to all such as have but common sense and understanding, that the Church of England is much and many degrees liker than the Genevian, to the Church that Saint john saw in heaven: so that as many of us as do love heaven, cannot but exceedingly like the form of the English Church, and better than that of Geneva: and we may well say it, that the form of the Church of England, and not that of Geneva, was revealed and represented to our divine Prophet. For the Revelation containeth a prophetical representation of the Church of Christ, and of the form and constitution thereof, such as it was to be after our saviours ascension in the two times of persecution and peace, until his last coming to judgement, to confound his foes, and to glorify his friends and elect children; as I do show more particularly in another work in Latin, entreating of the persecution and peace of the militant Church, according to the holy prophecies of Daniel and Saint john, a book that I began at the age of nineteen years: wherein all the opinions of ancient and modern writers, and even of the learned of both Religions, touching the authors, instruments, duration, beginning, manner and ending of the persecution or troubles, and of the tranquillity and peace of the Church are propounded and compared together, with their reasons and arguments debated, and many errors refuted. Now because I have said in this Section, that the Church of England is liker to the Church of God in heaven (in the matter of sacramental or symbolical ceremony) than the Genevian is, and have given an instance thereof in their Signing of Christ's new-born babes on the forehead with the sign of the Cross in Baptism, 
Ezech. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Revelat. 7.1, 2 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.  like as the Angels in heaven are said in Ezekiel to sign them that sorrow and mourn, upon the fore thead with the Crosse-like letter Thou, and in the Revelation of Saint john, to sign the foreheads of God's servants with the seal of God. I have thought good to insist a little longer upon the matter of this ceremony, and to prove the lawful, commendable, and Christian use of it, by many arguments, and even some new ones of our own meditation. Our first argument is thus: both the Prophet, Ezekiel in the old Testament, and the Prophet S. john in the new, have prophesied of the conversion of the jews to the faith of Christ, by the Angels signing of them in the forehead, as the letter of the word doth bear in both places, the which the ancient Doctors of the Church have understood of the Sign of the Cross to be received at the hands of the Church in their Baptism; as no divine that ever read the Fathers, dare deny: whereby they shall profess that they are no more ashamed of his Cross, or scandalised at the ignominy of it as their forefathers had been, 
1. Cor. 1.23.  to whom it proved a stumbling block, (as the Apostle speaketh) but that they glory in it, and believe to be made blessed by it, even to be saved by Christ's suffering on that same Cross, which their forefathers had once set up to slay and destroy him by. Wherefore if our Genevians would have the jews to be converted to their Church, they must needs receive from England, or rather from the primitive Church, the sacred sign of the cross, that they may have it to christian the jews with; otherwise they will not go to Geneva for Christendom, nor to Scotland neither, nor to any reformed Church of their fashion. Secondly, in all reason and common sense, it is convenient that the jews being converted, should declare by some sensible sign, that they are no more ashamed of Chrisls cross, but well ashamed of their own cursed course in crucifying him, that came to cure them; and though there were not any mention at all made in holy Scripture, of their signing or sealing in the foreshead (as there is most expressly) yet should it be lawful for them to declare by some external gesture or act, aswell as by words of mouth, their Christian disposition of this kind. Thirdly, as it tendeth much to the glory of God, in that he can bring light out of darkness, life out of death, salvation out of destruction, nobility and fame out of ignominy and shame, and honour, out of dishonour, so it tendeth to the edification of the Church, that this admirable working of our most glorious and wise God, be declared and made as notorious as it can be, with all conveniency, both by words of profession and gestures of signification; and consequently it tendeth to the edification of the Church, that the jews should declare by the sign of the cross, that they do acknowledge God to have drawn admirably blessing and honour, out of the dishonour and curse of the cross, and salvation out of destruction. It is a most Christian confession for jew or Gentile, especially the jew, to confess and acknowledge, that the Cross which they once set up with their hands in dishonour of Christ, yea more for an instrument of his destruction, Almighty God hath made it the in strument of their highest honour, and happiest condition, even of their salvation; and therefore the outward expression of this confession by a gesture, 
Mat. 28, 18, 19  external act or sign of the hands, must needs be Christian and commendable. Fourthly, our Saviour Christ commanding to teach and baptise both jews and Gentiles, commandeth questionless to express and declare the nature and use of Baptism, and consequently commandeth to use the sign of the cross, for this ceremony serveth to declare the nature and use of this Sacrament, in that thereby we are baptised into the death of Christ upon the cross, and that our old man is crucified with him, and even nailed to his cross, as the Apostle speaketh saying, 
Rom. 6.4, 5, 6 7, 8, Philip. 2.8, Coloss. 2.12, Galat. 2, 19, & 5, 24.  Know ye not that all we which have been baptised into jesus Christ, have been baptised into his death? we are buried then with him by Baptism, into his death, that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the father, so we also should walk in newness of life, For if we be planted with him to the similitude of his death, even so shall we be to the simi-litude of his resurrection, knowing this that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed. Whereby we are taught that in Baptism their must be a threefold similitude or representation, to wit of Christ's dying, burying and rising bodily and of our dying, burying and rising spiritually with him. Now I ask what similitude there is in Baptism of Christ's ignominous death upon the cross, or of his bodily crucifying, and of the spiritual crucifying of our old man with him, setting aside the sign of the cross? The sprinkling on of the water doth represent only a shedding of his blood, but not necessarily a shedding of it until death, for Christ might have shed his blood without dying. And as for the immersion or dipping of the baptised body into the water, it doth represent his burying directly, like as the emersion or rising of the body out of the water, representeth his rising out of the grave, but it doth not directly represent his dying: and though it doth by way of consequence represent his death, in respect that ordinarily none are buried but the dead, yet it doth not for all that set before our eyes the kind of his death, nor yet the accursed and ignominious manner thereof, which are two circumstances of especial moment and consideration. For our saviours death, was not a natural death; for he died not in his bed (as we say) and so was buried, but the death that he died was a violent death and wrought by the hand of man. Neither was it an easy or an honest violent death, but the most painful and shameful of all other, and even an accursed death, as both in the law, and in the Epistle of the Gospel we are taught: all which circumstances are represented and set before our eyes only by this ceremony of the sign of the cross. 
Deut. 2.23. Gal. 3.13.  Fifthly, if it be lawful for a Minister to express the mysteries and meaning of the Scripture of God by a Sermon, as every one will grant that it is; then shall it be as lawful to express the mysteries of God's Sacrament by a ceremony: for there is the like reason, for the one and for the other. For seeing the Sacrament of God, aswell as the word of God hath something to be explicated and declared, and that the best explication and declaration is made by things of the like nature, it followeth that as the audible word is explicated and declared by a sermon and by words to the ear, so the visible Sacrament being a ceremony, is to be explicated and declared by a ceremony to the eye, such as is the sign of the cross: he that addeth unto word or Sacrament for perfection is a blasphemer and a deceiver, but he that addeth unto word or Sacrament, either other words and rites for explanation and declaration is a true Doctor. Sixtly, by this sign the Church doth confess her own misery and wretchedness, in that we did even crucify Christ with our sinful hands by our sins, as much as the jews did that set up the cross with their unhallowed hands; this confession is lawful and good, and therefore the declaration of it by a sensible sign, can not be unlawful or evil. seven, 
Galat. 3.13. Ephes. 2.14.15, 16, 17,  by this sign the Church confesseth her faith in Christ crucified, that he hath redeemed us from the curse of the law by the curse of his cross, and reconciled us unto God by the blessed peace of his cross, as the Apostle speaketh; this confession is Christian, and therefore the declaration thereof by a sensible sign, external act or gesture of the body cannot be Antichristian, as our Genevians would have us to believe. Eightly, by this sign the Church declaclareth her Christian disposition and resolution, of fight under the banner of Christ against sin and Satan, and of suffering persecution for the cross of Christ (as the Apostle speaketh) she declareth her Christian endeavour in crucifying the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof, 
Galat. 5.24, & 6, 12, 14,  and testifieth her faithful affection, in not being ashamed of the cross of Christ, but that she glorieth and rejoiceth in it, according to that of the Apostle. God forbidden that I should rejoice, 
Mat. 26.39. Mark 14.35. Act. 7.60. & 9.40. &. 20.36. Ephes. 3.14. Luk. 18.13. Mat. 14.19. joh. 11.41. & 17.1. 1. Tim. 2.8. 1. Cor. 11.4.  but in the cross of our Lord jesus Christ, whereby the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. This disposition, resolution, endeavour and affection, is most commendable and Christian●, and therefore the testification, declaration or notification thereof, must needs be so likewise. For if it be lawful and laudable for the Church to declare the inward humility of the heart, by the outward bowing of the body or knees; and the casting down of the eyes, the inward sorrow of the soul for sin, by an external beating of the breast; the inward confidence or affiance in God, in expecting at his hands, every good thing, by the visible lifting up of the hands and eyes unto heaven; and finally the internal reverence of the heart, by an external bare head: why may not the same Church aswell declare the inward rejoicing and glorying of the heart in the cross of Christ, by such a sensible sign made with the hands, especially it being made with the hands of the Minister, who is the likest to use it aright, and the best able to free it from abuse? ninthly the Church may and aught to use that outward act, which the Spirit of God himself doth design, 
Eze. 9.4, 5, 6. Revel. 7.1, 2, 3 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.  for the expressing of his own inward action; but the Spirit of God doth design the outward act of signing, for the expressing of his own inward action of spiritual sealing; as both Ezekiel in the old Testament, and Saint john in the new do witness: and therefore the Church may and aught to use the same outward act of signing. Tenthly the Church is bound to declare and notify the grace of God's Spirit, working in men, and even to make men as sensible of the works of God's Spirit in them, as they can conveniently: now it is one of the works of God's Spirit, and a chief work too, to seal men in their souls inwardly, and to stamp them as it were with the print of his Image, unto the day of redemption, 
2. Cor. 1.22. & 5.5. Ephes. 1.13. & 4.30.  (as the Apostle speaketh) and therefore for the Church to make men sensible of this internal and mystical sealing of God's Spirit, by the means of such a convenient and decent sensible sign, as that of the Cross (though there were no particular mention at all made in the whole Scripture, of any such external gesture or act of signing on the forehead) must needs be lawful and commendable. eleventhly, by this Sign the Church putteth her children in mind of their own misery, and of God's mercy, of Christ's love towards them, and of their duty and affection towards him, for his unspeakable love, and therefore it tendeth to edification. Twelfthly this ceremony was received and practised of the primitive Church, neither is there any ecclesiastical writer or Father, Greek or Latin, but maketh honourable mention of it, as we shall show particularly in our Commentaries of the persecution and peace of the Church; and therefore we ought to use it now, if it were no more but to show our conformity with the primitive Church: for the daughter ought to follow the footsteps of her mother in all lawful and commendable actions, and ought not to departed from her, otherwise she shall both dishonour her mother, and discredit herself. And questionless, the want of this primitive ceremony and others the like in some reformed Churches, hath brought a most dangerous discredit upon the reformation, and made it obnoxious unto the suspicion and odious imputation of the same novelty, in the very substance, which it carrieth amongst them in the out side & circumstance. And therefore those venerable Bishops that reform the Church of England, considering wisely with themselves, how that men are so apt to censure of the inside by the outside, especially in Church matters, and to judge of doctrine and piety, by the external discipline and ceremony, retained still the primitive discipline and ancient ceremonies of that Church, but banished the abuses. And would to God the Church of Geneva had done the like; for so our common adversaries should not have had so good and just cause as they have, to hit them in the teeth with their novelty, as though their Church had newly crept or leapt out of the Lemannian lake, or had been conceived of Caluin and borne of Beza. Thirtenthly and lastly, the enemies of the sign of the cross, can not bring so much as one good authority or probable argument for their opinion: not the letter of the Scripture; for they see that the letter favoureth it both in the old Testament and new; not the sense of the Scripture, as it hath been delivered by the fathers of the Church, for they know, that they are all for it, and as for reasons derived from the light of nature, or Scripture, from Theology or Philosophy, Divinity or humanity, they can bring none, worth the hearing, (for I have read diligently their books and was once a Puritan myself) except it be this one, The Church of Rome hath abused the sign of the cross, and therefore the reformed Church ought to forbear it, lest we should seem to favour or follow their abuses. But I wonder but they should remember better that old maxim, abusus non tollit usum, some folks abusing of a thing, doth not hinder or let, but that others may use it aright. And do they not think that the Church of Rome, doth abuse praying and preaching, and Churches, and pulpits, and kneeling, and Godfathers and Godmothers aswell as crossing, and yet we do not forbear these things, because of their abuse; neither is there any reason why we should do so, but rather great reason to the contrary. The Church of Rome doth abuse ceremonies; & therefore the reformed Church ought to use them aright, to the end that in so doing she may both show herself like and conform unto her Mother the Primitive Church, and by her good example do what she can, out of Christian charity to reform and amend her straying sister the deformed Romish Church. And so I end this my plain disputation for the sign of the cross in Baptism, beseeching my countrymen to take it in good part, even for his sake that suffered upon the Cross. 
The Church of England more heaven like for honour of the Ministry.    

Sect. 21.  
Eightly the Church of England is liker than the Genevian, to the heavenly Church in the dignity and honourable estate of the ministery. In heaven God's Ministers are honoured with the holiest style of Priests, and with the highest style of Princes; for as under the highest of Priests, they are Priests, so under the highest of Princes they are Princes. And therefore we read in the Revelation how that blessed Saint john calleth the Bishops of the seven Churches by the honourable styles of Kings and Angels, 
Revel a. 1.4, 5 6, & 2. & 3. &. 5.3, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, & 7, 10, 12, & 8, 3.4.  and the four and twenty Elders do magnify the Lamb for making them unto God Kings and Priests, to reign or rule upon the earth. Answerably whereunto in the Church of England, the reverend Fathers of the Church are graced by the Sovereign Prince, representing the Lamb and the Lion of the tribe of judah, with the honourable title and dignity of Lords and Barons. And good reason surely, seeing that the Governors of the Church under the Gospel, are to be rather more than less honoured, then were the Governors of the Church under the law, in so far as the ministery of the Gospel is much more honourable and glorious then that of the law, 
2. Cor. 3.7, 8, 9, 10, 11.  as the Apostle expressly avoucheth. And that the Ministers and Governors of the Church under the old Testament were called by honourable titles it may appear in that Moses a prophet, 
Exod. 3. & 4, 16, & 18, 1. Sam. 1.3.9, 15, & 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, Deut. 17, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 2. Chron. 17, 7, & 19, 8, 9.10, 11, Ezech. 44, 24, 1. Sam. 1.9.14, 15, 16, 17 18, 26, & 4, 18 1. King. 17, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.21, 22, 23, 24, & 18, 3, 4, 7, 9, 12, 13, 2. King. 1.13, 14, & 4, 1, 2, 16, 27, 28, 37, & 5, 15, 16, 17, 18, & 8, 9, 12, Act. 10.25, & 16.24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, Gen 40.8, & 41, 14, 15, 16, 25, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, Dan. 2.28, 29 30, 36, 48, 49 & 5, 29, & 6, 1 2, 3. Psal. 45.9, 13, 16,  was likewise a Prince, Eli and Samuel Priests, were Princes and judges, and the Priests judged of some civil causes, together with the other temporal judges. The chief Priests which taught the people of juda, are called Princes, whom King jehesophat had appointed to be judges under him, both in ecclesiastical and temporal causes, as between blood and blood, between law and precept, statutes and judgements. Anna, called Eli the the chief Priest her Lord, the widow of Zarepta, the widow of Bethel, the Shunamite Gentlewoman, Obadiah King Achabs' steward, the good Captain sent by King Ahaziah, Naeamen the King of Syrta his General, Hazael one of the Princes of Benhadad King of Aram, did all of them honour the chief Prophets of God, Eliah and Elisha, with the style of Lords, and bowed before them. And so did Cornelius the Captain, and likewise the jailor, to the blessed Apostles, Peter and Paul; to pass over, that joseph a Patriarch and a Prophet of the Church, was likewise a chief Prince under the King of Egypt, even the next unto the King, Daniel another chief Prophet of the Church, was likewise a Prince, and the next person to the King of Babel Nabuchadnezzar, and his three fellows, Shadrach, Messach, and Abednego, were made Governors over the Provinces of Babel, and the same Prophet Daniel, was by King Belshazzar made the third Ruler in the kingdom, and by King Darius, the first and chief Ruler over the whole kingdom. And the Prophet David prophesying of the splendour and dignity of the Fathers of the Church, under the Gospel, useth these words, In stead of thy Fathers, shall thy Children be, thou shalt make them Princes through all the earth; meaning that of the Children of the Church, there should be chosen such as should be Fathers and Rulers of the Church, as archbishops, and Bishops, which should be honoured throughout the whole Christian world, as Lords and Princes. For the holy Prophet, as he describeth typically Christ, as the King of the Catholic Church, and none but he to be King; and the Church as the Queen and Spouse of this King, so doth be signify unto us, that the Princes of this King and kingdom, are the Rulers and Governors of the Church above named, which of the Children of the Church should be made Fathers of the Church, and should be honoured as Princes, as hath binsaid. And this prophesy is most clearly accomplished and verified in the Church of England, not of Geneva, nor any Genevian; unto whose Ministers God hath not granted so much honour, as they who have unhappily dishonoured and debased themselves, in bringing in their Lay-elders to be Church governors, in stead of the Bishops. I say they have debased themselves most ridiculously, because that they have submitted themselves, who should be as Fathers and Schoolmasters, unto their own children and Scholars: for by those Lay-elders they are elected, they are judged and censured, in matters both of life and doctrine, they are suspended or removed from their ministery: and yet they are but mere Lay-men, generally void of learning, as being for the most part tradesmen and artificers, and some country gentlemen. So that there is as great disorder in the Genevian Church, and as gross absurdity as if the children should command their Fathers in the house, or the Scholars correct their Masters in the School, or as if the Sheep should pull the pastoral crook out of their shepherds hand. And though that our Genevians do derive their Lay-elders and Eldership, from the Synedrie of the jews, (for I grant them with all my heart, that the chief perfections of the jewish Church, aught to be found in the Christian Church, which thing if they understood well, they should see their gross errors) yet I must tell them that they have nothing like but the name. For first the jewish Elders were inferior magistrates ordained primarily by the Sovereign and chiefest magistrate Moses to assist him in matters of judgement; 
Numbers. 11.16, 17, Ezr. 10.8, Luk. 22.66, Act. 5.27.  whereas the Genevian are not judges or any such public persons, appointed by the Prince, but private persons picked out of the Parish by the Preacher, and some other with him. Secondly, the jewish Elders judged and censured the Laity, and therefore were called the Elders of the people, whereas the Genevian presume to censure & correct their Clergy. Thirdly and lastly the jewish Elders concurred with the Princes of the Priests as their assistants or officers in matters of judgement and debate, but the Genevian have no Princes of Priests, 
Deut. 17.8.9.10.11, 12,2. Chron. 19, 8, 9, 10.11, Ezech. 44.4.  or Prince-Church governors, as Primates, Archbishops or Bishops, to give assistance unto: whereby it doth appear that the judges and justices of Peace in England, are like those Elders of the jews, especially the judges of Ecclesiastical courts called by the names of Chancellor, Commissary, Deane of the Arches, Official and the like, and in no wise the Elders after the Genevian form. Moreover as the Ministers of the heavenly Church are called Priests, so are the Ministers of the Church of England honoured, 
Revel. 4.8, 9, 10.11, & 5, 8 & 7, 10, 12, & 8, 3, 4, Heb. 13.15. Hos. 14.3,  with the same holy title and style. Those Angelical Priests do offer up unto God the spiritual sacrifice of prayer and praise; and answerably thereunto our English evangelical Priests offer unto God, the like spiritual sacrifice, as the Apostle prescribeth saying, Let us therefore by him offer the sacrifice of praise, always to God, that is, the fruit of the lips which confess his name. Public prayer and praise is a sacrifice: and therefore, the Minister that offereth it is a Priest, neither could he bless publicly the people, except he were a Priest (for Church-benediction is a part of the Priest's function) nor yet Minister any of the two Sacraments, in both which there is a spiritual sacrifice; for by Baptism our bodies and souls are offered unto God by the hand of his Priest, 
Rom. 12.1. Mat. 26.27.28, 29, 30. &. 28, 19, joh. 6.32, 33 41, 51, Reue l. 2, 17,  a reasonable and living sacrifice, and in the Eucharist or Sacrament of the Lords Supper, he offereth unto God in our name the spiritual sacrifice of thanksgiving, for giving the substance of his blessed body, both corporally for us, a bloody sacrifice upon the cross, and spiritually unto us in the Sacrament of bread & wine, and even for feeding of us in a mystical and supernatural manner with his flesh, which is that hidden Manna of heaven, 
Revel. 1.4, 5, 6, & 5.10, Heb. 7.15, 17, 21, 24, 26, 28, & 8, 1, 2, 3.  promised in the Revelation to those that overcome. To be brief, the blessed Apostle Saint john writing unto the Angels or Bishops of the seven Churches of Asia, calleth them Priests, like as the four and twenty Elders in heaven, do call themselves Priests; and jesus Christ himself is called a Priest, yea more, an high or chief Priest, and consequently must have inferior Priests under him. And such are the Ministers of the Gospel in England; the which style whilst our Genenians cannot endure, no more than the white Surplice, and the artificial singing; I wonder what they mean to do in heaven, where Saint john saw so many Priests, so many white habits, and heard such harmony and musical melody. Now the honourable titles that God hath vouchsafed his Ministers, do show that it is his will, 
Deut. 10, 9, & 12, 19, & 24, 23, 25, Numb. 18.12 13, 17, 18, 19 20, 21, 2, 23 24, 1. Cor. 9.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, Heb. 10. 1. Tim. 5.17, 18,  they should have a more honourable maintenance, than Geneva doth allow them in their beggarly contributions. The Priests and Ministers of the Gospel, have succeeded into the room of the legal Priests and Ministers of the Tabernacle, and therefore they have succeeded to their maintenance, and so much the more because these serve him in a more excellent manner then the other did. And if he would not have his Ministers to beg under the law, or yet to depend upon popular benevolences, shall we think that he would have his Ministers under the Gospel, to be subject to such a beggarly condition? Every provident & wise master provideth for his household and servants; 
Levit. 27.30, 31, 32. Deut. 12.17, 18, 19, & 14, 22, 23, 27, 29 & 26, Numb. 18. Nehem. 10.35, 36, 37, 38 39 Josh. 13.14, 33. 2. Chron. 31.4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Ezech. 44, 28 29, 30, 2. Tim. 2.6. Luk. 10.2.7. 1. Tim. 5.18. Mat. 9.37, 38.  wherefore it followeth, that God, who is the most provident and wise Master of all other, hath provided for the maintenance of his household servants, and we know none other, but first fruits and tithes: all labourers have certain standing wages, the Ministers of the Gospel are God's labourers, therefore they ought to have their standing wages likewise, and we read of none other, except first fruits and tithes. And therefore we see how our Saviour forbiddeth his Apostles to go from house to house, telling them that the workman is worthy of his hire. And truly if he would not have his Apostles to go from house to house, even in that time when tithes were withholden from them by the jewish clergy; shall we think that now when the jewish clergy is abolished, he would have his Ministers of the Gospel to go from house to house, or yet to send from house to house, to beg the people's benevolences? Those that withheld from Christ's Apostles and Ministers, the duty of first fruits and tithes, were such as persecuted both them and Christ, and crucified him in the end; 
Deut. 10, 9, & 12, 19, & 14, 23.29, 2. Chron. 31.4. Proverb. 3.9, 10.  and such God spoiling Gospelers, as do now adays withhold the Church-rents from Churchmen, what do they else but persecute Gods Ministers, and crucify Christ daily in his members? The ends of paying first fruits and tithes unto God's Priests are perpetual, to wit, that the Ministers of God may be maintained, and not forsaken, but more and more encouraged in the service of God, that God may be honoured with our riches, and acknowledged to be our great Landlord and good Lord, that we may learn to fear the Lord, and that he may bless us in all the works of our hands, that so our store may be increased, and our barns filled with abundance: are not Christians Gods tenants, farmers and vassals as well as were the jews? and do we not hold all that we have of God as well as they? and are we not bound to pay our annual rents unto God as duly and truly as they? and what reason have Christians to forsake their Ministers more than the jews had? and do not the one deserve aswell to be liberally maintained and encouraged in their work as the other? and have not Christians as great cause to learn to fear God, as the jews had? finally do not Christians desire as earnestly as the jews did, to be blessed in the works of their hands, and in the increase of their store? wherefore it followeth necessarily that we Christians must pay our Tithes as truly and duly as did the jews. 
1. Tim. 5 17, 18. 1. Cor. 9.7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.  And therefore the blessed Apostle, as he commendeth unto Christians the honourable and liberal maintenance of the Mininistery, right diligently, writing to the Corinthians, and even proveth by the law of Moses, the right that the Ministers of the Gospel, have unto our carnal things and even unto such carnal things as both Moses doth prescribe in his Law, and the Apostle himself doth mention, entreating of this matter, comprehending them under these two kinds, the fruits of the field, and the flocks of the fold; so writing to the Galathians, he enjoineth in express words, 
Heb 13.7, Galat. 6.6,  every one that is taught in the word, to make him that hath taught him, partaker of all his goods. The people must give a part of their goods unto their Pastors, as the Apostle prescribeth, and all do acknowledge to be reasonable, now this part must either be equal unto the Levitical part, or greater than it, or else smaller. To give them a smaller, were a most unreasonable indiscretion, and a more than beastly ingratitude, and if they will not, nor cannot bestow a greater, such as indeed it ought to be, 
2 Cor. 3.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.  (for look how far the ministery of the Gospel is more excellent than that of the law, so much the more ample and liberal aught to be the maintenance of the Ministers of the Gospel, than was that of the Ministers of the Tabernacle) yet at least for shame, they must give an equal portion with that of the legal Priests. Lastly to shut up this our reasoning for the perpetuity of tithes & for the honourable maintenance of Christ's servants (for hereof we have written more amply in a work published some few years ago called the Golden art or the right way of Enriching dedicated to the two most famous and royal Cities of these two kingdoms) I say that the holy Scripture setteth down the paying of these yearly Church-rents amongst moral duties, and accounteth of Sacrilege, not as if it were the transgression of a ceremonial ordinance, but even the violation of a moral law. Will a man spoil his Gods, (saith the Lord God by his Prophet Malachi) yet ye have spoiled me in tithes and in offerings. 
Malacha. 3, 8. Proverb. 3.9, 10, & 20.25,  Honour the Lord (saith Solomon) with thy riches, and with the first, fruits of all thine increase, so shall thy barns be filled with abundance, and thy press shall burst with new wine. But it is a destruction for a man to devour that which is sanctified: meaning that the man who will not honour God with first fruits and tithes, but doth devour the holy things, and committeth sacrilege, bringeth destruction upon himself, his soul, his body, his goods, and his house. Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, 
Rom. 2.22,  breakest thou wedlock? (saith the Apostle) and thou that abhorrest Idols dost thou commit sacrilege? as if he should say, thou that detestest the honouring of a false God wilt thou nevertheless spoil and dishonour the true God; whereby we are given to understand, that sacrilege is not only a transgression of the moral law, but that it is even a double sin, compounded of robbery and Idolatry, and consequently a more detestable and abominable evil than Idolatry itself. For the Idolater with his heart, his body and substance, yea sometimes with the blood of his dearest children honoureth a false God, 
Levit. 18.21. &. 20.2. 2. King. 23.10. & 16.3. & 17.17. jerem. 7.31  yet thinking that it is the true God indeed he doth thus worship; whereas the sacrilegious God-spoyler robbeth the true God of his own. The Idolater is careful to worship some God, but the God-spoyler careth for no God at all; a false god he doth not know, and it is well; and the true God he will not acknowledge, which is a worse part than the others blind worshipping of a false god. For the Idolater being misled with an erroneous opinion, maketh and taketh that to be God which is not God, for ignorantly of an Idol he maketh God; whereas the sacrilegious God-spoyler maliciously even wittingly and willingly of the true God maketh no God at all but a mere Idol: otherwise he durst not be so bold as to rob him of his right, for it is an infallible maxim, that a man will never rob or spoil him whom he loveth honoureth or feareth.  
O how ugly then is the sin of sacrilege that beareth nevertheless such a sway in this I'll, but especially in the North! O how horrible an iniquity is it for men of might to pull out of God's mouth the diet of the Church to put it into their own, and to fill the bellies of their hounds and their horses with the meat of God's ministers! It is a sin of that high nature, that because of it, God hath said unto us, as once he said unto the people of Israel upon the like occasion, 
Malach. 3.9, 10.11. Amos. 4.6.7, 8, 9, 10. Isay. 16.9.10. Hag. 1.10. & 2.18.  ye are cursed with a curse, for ye have spoiled me, even this whole nation (but blessed be our Sovereign for labouring to remove this curse from our nation) and that he hath sometimes sent scarcenesss of bread, and cleanness of teeth in our Cities and towns; sometimes hath with holden the rain from us when there were yet three months to the harvest; and shut the windows of heaven upon us and stayed the rain till the fruits of the earth were destroyed with drought, sometimes hath smitten our fruits with blasting and mildew, and sent the palmer worm to devour the fruits of our trees, yea made our singing and shouting for joy in barnest to cease, and made us drunk with our tears, for that the heaven above us was stayed from dew, and the earth under us from yielding her increase. For this abominable sin God hath sometimes sent the pestilence amongst us to rage's in most violent manner, to consume our bodies and the fire to burn, and the water to overflow our towns, lands, houses and habitations. In one word, it is this horrible sin of Sacrilege that hath overthrown the strength and glory of divers mighty and wealthy houses; God in most just judgement shutting such from their inheritance as were so audacious and bold as to rob him of his. The sacrilegious God-spoyler is the man which (as job speaketh) hath stretched out his hand against God, 
job. 15.6.27.  and made himself strong against the almighty, therefore God shall run upon him, even upon his neck, and against the most thick part of his shield because he hath covered his face with his fatness, and hath collopes in his flanks, as if the holy man should say, because this God-spoyling Anti God hath presumed to shut God from his inheritance, and hath taken from him his Tithes and hath made himself fat with God's meat which he hath pulled out of the hands and mouths of his ministers, 
Vers. 29.30.31.32.33.34.  therefore God shall be avenged on him, he shall not be rich always, neither shall his substance continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof in the earth, he shall never departed out of darkness, the flame shall dry up his branches, & he shall go away with the breath of his mouth. His branch shall not be green, but shall be cut off before his day, and the congregation of the Hypocrites shall be desolate: and who is so great an hypocrite as the sacrilegious Church robber, who being an impure God-spoyler indeed will needs in the mean time be esteemed a pure gospeler and one of the precisest professors of the reformed Church? He may well make himself merry with the meat of God's Ministers, as profane Balthasar did with the golden and silver vessel of God's house, 
Dan. 5.1, 2, 3 4.5. job. 20.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.  but he shall know in the end, that the rejoicing of the wicked shall have an end; and (as Zophar speaketh) that the joy of hypocrites is but a moment. Though his excellency mount up to the heaven, and his head reach unto the clouds, yet shall he perish for ever like his dung, and they which have seen him, shall say, where is he? he shall flee away as a dream, and they shall not find him, he shall pass away as a vision of the night, so that the eye which had seen shall do so no more, & his place shall see him no more: as if he should say; though he were never so great and mighty a man, that robbeth God's Church, yea though his height did reach unto heaven, yet for all his height, he shall not enter into heaven, but shall fall to the earth like his own dung, and his sacrilegious soul shall stink, 
Vers. 10.  more vilely than his dung amids hell flames. His children shall flatter the poor, and his hands shall restore his substance, as if he should say; because the father through pride and tyranny oppressed the poor, and spoiled Gods Ministers, therefore God shall make the posterity of that man, for poverty & want to beg his bread at other poor folks doors; yea that thing which the sacrilegious father took away by violence, 
Vers. 15, 16 17.  his barns shall be brought to restore again by force. He hath devoured substance, and he shall vomit it; for God shall draw it out of his belly, seeing to him it belongeth, and in am thereof, he shall suck the gall of Asps, and the Viper's tongue shall slay him; that is, his portion shall be with hypocrites, and the generation of vipers, for the old Serpent that wicked viper shall slay his soul, he shall not see the rivers, nor the floods and streams of honey and butter, that is to say, he shall not taste of the happiness of the heavenly Canaan. He on earth shut God from his inheritance on earth, but in the end, God shall shut him out of the earth, and debar him from heaven, & hurl him headlong into hell. He shall restore the labour, and shall devour no more, even according to the substance, shall be his exchange, 
Vers. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23  and he shall enjoy it no more. For he hath undone many, he hath forsaken the poor, and hath spoiled houses which he built not even Church-mens houses, yea Gods house, and God himself hath he spoiled. Surely he shall feel no quietness in his body, neither shall he reserve of that which he desired, there shall none of his meat beleft, therefore none of his shall hope for his goods. As if he should say, because he would needs devour God's meat, and the diet of his Ministers, therefore God shall send the devourer to eat up his meat. For when he shall be filled with his abundance, that is, with God's portion and Church men's provision, He shall be in pain, and the hand of all the wicked shall assail him: that is to say; because he was so wicked as to stretch out his hand to spoil God; therefore God shall make many wicked men's hands to spoil him: He shall be about to fill his belly, to wit, with God's Ministers meat, but God shall send upon him his fierce wrath, and shall cause to rain upon him, even upon his meat. As if he should say, God's Ministers meat shall do him no good; for God shall either draw it out of his belly, or else he shall turn it in the midst of his bowels into the gall of asps. And not only shall God draw his own Ministers meat out of the Godspoilers miserable belly, but he shall also draw the sacrilegious soul out of the devouring body, & it shall burn in the fire that is not blown, that is, in hell fire that needeth no blowing. The heaven shall declare his wickedness (for he was so wicked and impious, 
Verse 26, 27, 28, 29,  as to spoil the God of heaven) and the earth shall rise up against him (for he was so ungracious, as to rob God's Ministers and household servants on earth) the increase of his house shall go away, it shall flow away in the day of his wrath. As if he should say, the man's house that is increased, builded or reared up, by the decrease or robbery of God's house, it shall not always stand, the grease and fatness of it shall flow away like water, the pelf and wealth thereof, shall vanish and melt away like the fat of Lambs, or as doth the snow before the Sun. Such is the portion of the wicked from God, and the heritage that he shall have at God's hands; as if he should say, desolation and destruction in substance, in body and soul, shall be the portion and heritage of all impenitent unrestoring Godspoilers, unworthy of the title of Gospelers, men worse than idolaters, which do indeed turn the true God into an idol, as the other do an idol into God, and worship & fear, neither true nor false deity. A false God they know not, and the true God they will not acknowledge; for otherwise they would stand in awe, to spoil God of his portion, and to bereave him of his inheritance. And therefore to shut up this pleading for God's Priests and their honourable maintenance, let me pray & beseech all Britain's, especially my dear countrymen of Scotland, that if they desire either to be rich here, or happy hereafter, that they would be bountiful & liberal to God's servants, & that every man that hath taken from the Church any thing, or withholden from Churchmen their Tithes in whole or in part by sacrilegious impropriation or wicked usurpation, 
Luk. 19.8.  that he would restore with repenting Zacheus fourfold, or at least the principal stock, which he hath in his hands. Let him I say, listen with all diligence and conscience unto the precept of the most high uttered by the mouth of his prophet Malachi saying, 
Malach. 3.10.11.12.  bring every Tithe into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me withal, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open the windows of heaven unto you, and power you out a blessing without measure; and I will reprove the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruit of the ground, neither shall your vine be barren in the field saith the Lord of hosts, and all nations shall call you blessed because ye shall be a pleasant land. Lastly, let us all listen unto the godly and grave exhortation of wise king Solomon; saying honour the Lord with thy substance and with the first fruits of all thine increase, 
Proverb. 3.9,  so shall thy barns be filled with abundance and thy press shall overflow with new wine; and let us with our whole hearts applaud our own salomon's glorious and divine endeavours tending to the perfect constitution of our Church, and to the advancing of Almighty Gods sincere worship: and let us bless the God of jacob, for raising up unto us from the North, a jacob, to be aninstrument of such blessedness unto both North and South, according to that which he once promised by his Prophet, 
Isay. 4 3, 6. Isay. 4.1, 25.  I will say to the North, give, and to the South, keep not back. And again, I have raised up from the North, and be shall come, from the east Sun shall he call upon my name: and yet again, 
Vers. 8.9, 10.11, 12,  speaking of the conversion of the islands and ends of the earth unto Christ, as if he pointed at our jacob, Thou jacob, whom I have chosen, I have taken thee from the ends of the earth, and called thee before the chief thereof, and said unto thee, thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, be not afraid, for I am with thee, behold all they that provoke thee, shall be ashamed, and they that strive with thee shall perish. Even blessed be the God of jacob for giving us a jacob to be the instrument of so great blessedness unto this I'll, and to the Church thereof, and grant that we may with both hands and hearts lay hold on such blessed occasions, as he doth now tender us, by the hand of his blessed jacob, for the amending of the defects of our Church, where through all nations may call us a blessed people. Amen.   
FINIS.   

A DEMONSTRATIVE DEFENCE OR TENFOLD PROBATION OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND TOUCHING one of the most important points of our Creed, necessary to be understood of all Christians, which is of our saviours descending into hell after death, to bind and subdue Satan, etc.  
Written for the information and satisfaction of many men's minds touching so weighty a matter, but especially for the furthering of the Church of Scotland's full conformity with that of England.  
BY JAMES MAXWELL Master of Arts, etc.  PSAL. 122. verse 6. Pray for the peace of jerusalem, let them prosper that love thee. 
LONDON, Printed by JOHN LEGATT, Printer to the University of Cambridge. 1617.   

TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHERS IN GOD, THE ARCHBISHOPS, AND BISHOPS, HIS VERY GOOD LORDS, AND OTHER LEARNED AND GRAVE PASTORS OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, JAMES MAXWELL WISHETH, PEACE, UNITY AND CONCORD FROM THE GOD OF CONCORD, AND PRINCE OF PEACE, AND HUMBLY DEDICATETH FOR A TESTIMONY OF HIS DUTY, THIS PRESENT TREATISE OF CHRIST'S DESCENDING INTO HELL.   

A Demonstration of Christ's Descending into Hell.  
LIke as the dissensions and differences in matter of faith between Christian and Christian, Greek and Latin, Papist and Protestant, have proved the greatest scandal and offence, to those that are without the bosom of the Church, and the greatest hindrance of both jews and Gentiles conversion unto Christ, that ever the hand of hell brought into the world, or the devil did devise; so the contentions and dissensions, the divisions and differences, arising between Protestant and Protestant (which have a number of new denominations such as sorrow and shame will not so much as once suffer me to mention) have proved questionless the greatest scandal of our reformed profession, and the chiefest cause of many Papists averseness from Reformation. And this may sufficiently appear by their daily objecting, and hitting us in the teeth with our divisions and differences, and telling us that our Church is so far denoide of Unity, that even the reformed subjects of one & the same Sovereign cannot be brought to an agreement in the matters and manner of God's worship. Witness, say they, there repugnant expositions upon that article or particle of faith, touching Christ's descending into hell, their discrepant doctrines touching the Prince's ecclesiastical power, their general averseness from Prelacy, with their differences in matter of ceremony, Sacramental ministery, and Church-sernice. And what other thing else (say they) can it be, but a manifest token of a weak and ruinous Religion, to say no worse, when as the professors thereof, 
Mat. 12.25. Mark. 3.24.25 Luk. 11.17.  can neither agree with other Christians, nor yet with themselves according to that saying of our Saviour, Every kingdom or house divided against itself shall be brought to desolation? For the preventing of which evil, and the remooning of which cursed scandal and cause of offence, seeing that Almighty God hath raised up our Sovereign, and endued him with a most divine Spirit, both for pregnancy, and peaceableness, far beyond all the other Princes of the earth, yea and far beyond many professed divines; 
Isay. 41, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 20, 21, 25.  and that he hath even chosen our jacob, and taken him from the ends of the earth, and called him before the chief thereof, (to speak with the evangelical Prophet Isay) to be the chief instrument of so glorious a work; let us in the consideration thereof, both acknowledge the inestimableness of the blessing that Almighty God offereth us, by the hand of his servant, (for Concord and Unity, especially in the matters of God, is an inestimable blessing unto man, and a thing most acceptable and agreeable unto God) and let us likewise acknowledge the fanourable providence of God towards us, disposing all things as for our greatest good, so for our chief comfort and contentment; in that he hath been graciously pleased to pick out a King of the North, to be the Bringer and Broacher of this blessing unto us, according to that in the Prophet, saying, I have raised up from the North, and he shall come, 
Isay. 41.25,  from the East Sun shall he call upon my name: and even such a King of the North, as hath loved us so dearly as he hath done, and who would not for all the kingdoms of the world, bring the Church of God, or his own native Country, into any corrupt or dishonourable condition. No, I dare take it upon my soul, that it is his zeal and love towards the glory of God, the honour and credit of our Country, and the happy and more perfect constitution of our Church, that hath set him a work, about so blessed a business, as the working of a perfect agreement and full conformity between the Churches of these two kingdoms. For I suppose that no man is so far devoid of common sense, but seethe sufficiently how that both Piety & Policy, Religion of Church and Reason of State, do require that Britain's, which are the worshippers of one true God, the servants of one Saviour, the children of one Church, and the subjects of one and the same Sovereign, should agree in all things belonging to God's worship, especially. in all matters of faith, such as is this present point of Christ's descending into hell. The which though all Christians do profess to believe according to the letter, yet we can not say that our verbal or literal profession thereof, is seconded with a  consent in the meaning and sense. For first the Papists understand it of Christ's descending in his soul to a certain region or habitacle of hell, called Limbus Patrum to deliver the fathers; an opinion void of all good warrant: for we shall make it more than apparent In our Latin disputation of the seat of souls, both by Scripture and Doctors, by authority and arguments, that the souls of the believing people under the law, went not down into any corner of hell, (for all that they can say to the contrary, and though Zuinglius join with them herein) but to Paradise. And as for our Protestant writers, we see how some, namely, the Genevians expound it of Christ's suffering the sorrows of hell in his soul before his death, denying his descending in soul after death into hell, to deliver the faithful from descending thither, and to conquer and bind Satan in his own strongest hold, (though Mr. Caluin did not deny his foresaid local descending after death, but acknowledged it;) others expound it idly of Christ's burial, others of his continuance in the grave under the power thereof for three days; others of his translating into the state of the dead, and others most ridiculously have delivered that by the descending of Christ's soul into hell, is to be understood, no other thing but the ascending thereof into heaven: all which opinions are false, fanatical and frivolous; and the doctrine of the Church of England, and of some other reform Protestants of Germany, is only orthodox, and true; to wit that our saviours soul being severed from the Body, which lay in the grave three days, went down into the very loathsome dungeon of the damned, for our sakes (and not into any superior Limbus Patrum as Papists do dream) partly to deliver his elect children from descending thither, and partly to bind Satan in chains of darkness, and to triumph over him in his strongest hold. The which doctrine is verified and justified both by Scriptures authority, and Church's testimony, even both by God's word and man's. First, by typical prefiguration, secondly by prophetical prediction, thirdly by pregnant historical allusion, four by evangelical explication and application, fifthly by apostolical asseveration, sixtly by all ancient Christians common and Catholic confession, seventhly by Primitive Doctor's consent & unanime profession, eightly by the most part of learned Protestants ingenuous reception, & subscription, ninthly by irrefragable reason and demonstration, tenthly and lastly, by the consideration of such opposions, dissensions and contradictions as the oppugners of our saviours local descending have fallen into about this point, and of the absurd, unlearned, and ridiculous, yea impious expositions, that the Genenians have devised of such Scriptures as do most clearly evince the truth of this article. The impiousness of which their doctrine shall appear by our showing, how in some things they do jump with the jewish enemies and opposers of the Messiah his suffering death, and descending into hell, to destroy the author of death; and in some things with the ancient Heretics Arrians and Apollinarians, which did deny our saviours human reasonable soul: and therefore did expound those places of Scripture, wherein mention is made of the being of our saviours soul in hell after his death, in the same manner that the Genevians, and other upstarts have done of the preciser sort, Whereas the Doctors of the Primitive Church, which oppugned those heretics, did expound them as the Church of England: I mean the reverend Bishops and other learned Doctors thereof, that have been since the days of King Edward the sixth, of famous memory, until this present time of the happy reign of our most learned and religious Sovereign King james the sixth. Which being well considered, the Church of Scotland shall see, how that they have a thousand times better reason for them, to join with the Church of England, and with the ancient orthodox, and true Catholic Christians, then to jump with the new Genevians or any of the condemned heretics in the expounding such places of Scripture.  

I.  
And first I say that there is in the Scripture, 
Gen. 37.24, jonah. 1.17. & 2.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,  typical prefiguration both personal and real, of our saviours descending into hell; namely, joseph's putting into the pit without water; by his brethren mentioned in the 37. chapter of Genesis; and jonah his being in the belly of the Whale in the midst of the sea three days & three nights, as it is in the first and second chapters of his prophesy. And therein our Saviour himself affirmeth that jonah was a type or figure of him, and that his foresaid condition was a figure or sign of his own being after death in the heart of the earth, 
Mat. 12.39.40,  as it is in the twelfth of S. Matthewes Gospel, for as jonas, (saith our Saviour) was three days and three nights in the whales belly, so shall the son of man be three days and three nights, in the bear't of the earth. The which cannot be understood of our saviours burial, as our Genevians would make us believe; for his grave was not near the heart of the earth, nor Christ's body was not in the belly of the earth, but both were in the head, face, or top of the earth, and not within it, but without it, for it was a tomb hewn out of a rock as it is in the Gospel, and so those words of jonah were verified in the person of jesus really, 
Mat. 27.60.  Out of the belly of hell cried I, and again, Thou hast brought up my soul from the pit: for as jonab was in the midst of danger, without danger, in the bottom of the sea, without being drowned, so was our Redeemer jesus in the midst of danger without danger, and even in the bottom of the fiery pit without being burned, or consumed thereby; as jonah was in the belly of the Whale without being destroyed, so was jesus his soul in Leviathan's belly, which is hell, without being devoured of Leviathan, the roaring and denouring Lyon. And as jonah as brought up from the bottom of the sea; so was jesus his soul, brought up from the bottom of the pit, wherein is no water, but all fire, and is so deep that it is said to be without bottom. And as joseph's being in that pit without water, and jonahs' being in the Whale's belly, and in the bottom of the sea, were personal types and prefigurations of our saviours being in hell, so have we in the Scripture, real types and prefigurations thereof, for as the bloody Sacrifices of the law, did shadow out our saviours bloody sacrificing of his blessed Body upon the Cross for our sins, in which doing he shut up all those bodily and bloody sacrifices, with a solemn Consummatum est, saying, it is finished; so the  offerings of the law, did foreshow how our Saviour should offer his soul for an holocaust or  offering, 
joh. 19.30.  according as the evangelical Prophet Isay had foretold, saying in the fifty three chapter: He was taken out from prison and from judgement, and was cut out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my people was he plagued, 
Isay. 53.8, 9, 10.11.12.  he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no wickedness, and he shall make his soul an offering for sin, etc. He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he had powered out his soul unto death. In which words the Prophet pointeth out our saviours imprisonment, arraignment, judgement, execution, the crucifying and burying of his body, which was the bloody sacrifice, that put an end unto all bloody sacrifices, with his pouring out of his soul unto death, and making it an offering for sin, to wit a  offering. Where observe well, that though our Saviour offered his very soul, to be a  offering for the expiation of the sins of our souls, as he had done before, his body for a bloody sacrifice to expiate the sins of our bodies, yet had not the flames of hell any power thereupon, in which respect the three children were a type of him, in their walking in the midst of the seven times hot fiery furnace, 
Dan. 3.21, 22, 23, 24, 25 26, 27, & 6, 16, 22, 23,  without any hurt, as it is in the third of Daniel. Yea Daniel himself being in the lions den, without any harm, as it is in the sixth chapter, was a type and figure of our saviours conquering condition in hell; that though he had offered the Lamb of his blessed body to the shambles of the shame full and accursed cross to be slain, and the Turtleedove of his divine soul to the hot furnace to be burnt: (such burning love he bore us) yet could not hell fire take any hold thereon, but was free among the dead, as it is in the eighty eight Psalm, that is to say, 
Psal. 88.4, 5, 6  free from the tormenting flames and pains of hell fire. And though he was laid in the lowest pit in darkness and in the deep (as the Psalmist there subjoineth, immediately prophesying of Christ's descending into the lowest hell, and not into any upper Limbus patrum) and that he was brought down into the devils dark dungeon, into the den of the roaring and devouring Lion, to have seized upon his soul, and to have kept it captive; yet was the devil disappointed, and was so far from detaining our saviours soul in captivity, as that he himself was by him captivated & bound up in chains of darkness; for the Apostle to the Ephesians, 
Ephes 4.8.  testifieth that he led captivity captive. So that he that did once lie down, and couch as a Lion (as the Patriarch jacob in blessing his Son judah prophesied of jesus, 
Gen. 49.6. Revel. 5.5.  the Lion of the tribe of judah,) so soon as the denouring old Lion the devil, having him in his den, began to rouse and stir him up, and to encounter with him, (for then was the King of heavens great Lion baiting) he left of to be Couchant, and became Rampant, and graspling with him, gave him the foil, and entered to the spoil, according as jacob had prophesied, saying, judah as a lions whelp, 
Isay 53.12.  shalt thou come up from the spoil, and Isay likewise (in the place before alleged) saying, He shall divide the spoil with the strong, & as the Apostle in the Epistle to the Colossians testifieth that he did, saying, and hath spoiled the principalities and powers, 
Colos. 2.15.  and hath made a show of them openly.   

II.  
Secondly our saviours descent into hell, is in the Scripture not only by typical prefigurations, both personal and real, as hath been now showed; but also by express prophetical predictions. For David, who was both a type and a Prophet of Christ, prophesieth of it in many places, 
Psal. 16.10. & 18.5. & 30.3. & 88.6.  and namely, in the 16. Psalm saying, Thou wile not leave my soul in hell, and in the 18. The sorrows of hell have compassed me, and in the 13. Lord thou hast led forth my soul out of hell, and in the 88, Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness and in the depth: and so hath Zacharie prophesied of his descending into the very dungeon of the damned, 
Zach. 9.11, 12  (and not into any Limbus patrum as the Papists suppose) when he saith in his ninth chapter, prophesying there of Christ. I have loosed thy prisoners out of the pit, wherein is no water. And if any one ask what these prisoners were, that were thus loosed by our saviours descending; I answer, that all the elect souls of God's children were in effect prisoners of hell, and that they were indeed delivered and loosed out of that prison, by the virtue of Christ's personal descending, though they were not presentially and personally there themselves. For God doth deliver men from dangers and evils tamburlaine praeveniendo quam subveniendo, aswell by prevention before the fall, as by subvention, when they have fallen. The Roman Doctors indeed, expound this place of Christ's descending into a certain black border of hell, which they call Limbus patrum, to deliver the patriarchs souls from thence: for as for the pit or prison of the damned, from thence they hold there is no redemption. But truly they are deceived in their opinion, for the pit or prison whereunto our Saviour did descend, is called the lowest pit in the Scripture, and so must needs be the prison of the damned; Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit in darkness, 
Psal. 88.6.  and in the deep, (saith the Prophet David) prophesying of his Sons descending into the jowest hell. And the Prophet Zacharie calling it a pit without water, intimateth that it is a pit full of fire, and consequently no Limbus patrum, nor black border of hell fire, but hell fire itself. And in our Latin disputation of the Seat of Souls, as we shall prove both by Scriptures authority, and Father's testimony; that the souls of the faithful jews before Christ, were in no subterraneal pit or prison, but in Paradise: so shall we dispute another noble question, whether or no, the souls of the virtuous Gentiles were delivered from the lowest pit, 
Zach 9.11, 12 Psal. 107.10, 11, 12, 13, 14.  at our saviours descending, and whether this place of Zacharie of our saviours losing of those prisoners of hope out of the pit, wherein is no water, and that of the Psalmist, of the breaking of the bonds of such as did dwell in darkness, and sit in the shadow of death: and that of the Prophet Isay, 
Isay 61.1  prophesying of our saviours preaching liberty to the captives, and to them that are bound, 
Luke 418. 1. Pet. 3.18, 19 20. & 4.5, 6.  the opening of the prison, as it is likewise in the Gospel of S. Luke, and those words of S. Peter, when he saith that our Saviour being dead in his body, but quick or living in his Spirit (for so readeth the Syrian text) went by the same Spirit and preached to the Spirits in prison, which were in times past disobedient. And finally, those other words of the same Apostle, for unto this purpose was the Gospel preached also unto the dead, that they might be condemned according to men in the flesh, but might live according to God in the spirit: 
Isay 53.12. Mat. 12.29. Ephes. 4.8. Colos. 2.15.  whether I say these places of Scripture and others the like wherein mention is made of our saviours spoiling of hell and Satan, and of his leading captivity captive, may perhaps be probably understood of his powerful and merciful delivering from hell, some of the souls of the virtuous Gentiles, as of their Philosophers, Law givers, Governors, Kings, Queens, and other private persons renowned for their wisdom, prudence, fortitude, temperance, bounty, chastity, justice, mercy, and generally for their civil carriage, and moral conversation, such as were Hermes Trismegistus, Zoroaster, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Homer, Phocilides, Theognis, Epictetus, Cicero, and such as were Hercules, Theseus, Cyrus, Solon, Lycurgus, Aristides, Cimon, Timotheus, Epamis nondas, Tarina, Camilla, Nicaula, Pauthaea, Penelope, Artemisia, and others the like. For my own part I do profess such love to those virtuous wights, for their virtues sake, that I had rather condemn twenty such opinions, as that of the subterraneal Limbus patrum, then to damn eternally the soul of one Socrates, or of one Cyrus, let alone of a Solomon: concerning whom, we shall likewise dispute the question, whether his soul went to Paradise, or to the hell of the damned; and shall prove the salvation of his soul, against Cardinal Bellarmine, and other his Romish damners, by many authorities & arguments.   

III.  
Thirdly our saviours descending into hell, 
job 38.17.  is in the Scripture by pregnant historical allusion. In the book of job the greek interpreters allude thereunto most evidently, for the English of the Septuagints reading of the 17. verse of the 38. chapter is thus, Were the gates of hell opened unto thee for fear, and did the Porters of hell at the sight of thee, shrink for fear? and in the translation according to the hebrew, it is thus, Have the gates of death been opened unto thee, or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? and in the Gospel, 
Mat. 12.24, 25 26, 29, 28, 29.  our Saviour himself alludeth disertly thereunto, when he saith in the Gospel, Else how can a man enter into a strong man's hold, except he first bind the strong man, and then spoil his house: where note, how that immediately before, he spoke of his casting out of devils, and his overcoming of them, which argueth that Christ was to conquer the devil; for all his strength in his own house, and both to foil him, and spoil him in his own strongest hold.   

FOUR  
Fourthly, our saviours local descending into hell is in the Scripture, by evangelical explication or application; for S. Matthew in the same twelfth chapter, 
Mat. 12.39, 40  where he entreateth of our saviours casting out of devils, and of his entering into the strong man's house to bind him and spoil him, testifieth, that jonah in his being three days and three nights in the Whale's belly, was a type or figure of our saviours being three days & three nights in the heart of the earth; which cannot be understood of the place of his Body, but of the seat of his soul, as we have showed before.   

V  
Fifthly, 
Mat. 10.2. Act. 2.26.27, 30.31.  Christ's local descent into hell, is in Scripture by Apostolical asseveration. For first, S. Peter the prime Apostle in the second of the Acts, mentioning both the parts of our saviours humanity, to wit his soul and flesh, showeth how God had preordained that neither should his soul be subject to detention or destruction in hell, nor yet his body to detention or corruption in the grave: 
Psal. 16.8, 9,  and he expoundeth the Prophet David's words, in the sixteenth Psalm: Thou will not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption, of the resurrection of Christ; that his soul should not be left in hell, neither his flesh should see corruption. For as the resurrection could not be achieved without a combination of Christ's body and his soul; 
1. Pet. 3.18.19 &, 4.6,  so it behoved the soul, aswell to rise in a manner out of hell, where it lay down like the Lion couchant of the tribe of judah; as the body to rise out of the grave or tomb, where it was laid. The same Apostle in his first Epistle teacheth the same doctrine, in two several places; the one where he saith that Christ being put to death, concerning the flesh, but quickened in the Spirit (according to the greek text, or being quick and living in the Spirit, according to the Syrian) went by the same Spirit, and preached unto the Spirits in prison; the other, where he saith that the Gospel was preached unto the dead, to the end that they might live according to God in the Spirit. And as S. Peter, the prime Apostle (for so the Scripture calleth him) in the three places now alleged affirmeth Christ's descending into hell in his soul, 
Mat. 10.2, Mark. 3.16.  so S. Paul in as many places doth the like. The first place is in the tenth to the Romans where he affirmeth both his ascending into heaven, and his descending into the deep or bottomless pit which is hell. 
Rom. 10.6.7.  Say not in thine heart (saith he) who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ from above? or who shall descend into the (a byssus) deep or bottomless pit, that is to bring Christ from the dead? where note that the Greek word abyssus, which our English have translated, the deep is never taken for the grave, but for hell and the bottomless pit, it is often taken, as in Luke the eight, 
Luk. 8.31. Revela. 9.1.2.11 & 11.7. & 20.1.3.7.10.14.15.  in the ninth of the Revelation thrice, in the eleventh once, and in the twentieth twice; where it is likewise called Satan's prison, and the lake of fire and brimstone. The second place where S. Paul teacheth Christ's descent into hell, is the fourth to the Ephesians, thus, Now in that he ascended, what is it, but that be also descended first into the lowest parts of the earth? where the lower or lowest parts of the earth can signify no other thing but that, 
Ephes. 4.8.9, 10.  which he calleth the deep or bottomless pit in the Epistle to the Romans; for as he maketh an express opposition between ascending and descending, which are contrary motions, so doth he between the two opposite places, to wit, the highest part of heaven, and the lowest part of the earth. The third and the last place is the second to the Colossians, where speaking of our saviours Mediatorship, he useth these words amongst other, 
Colos. 2.15.  And hath spoiled the principalities and powers, and hath made a show of them openly, and hath triumpbed over them in himself; for so readeth the Syrian text, and the Greek text likewise in most part of books, together with the Latin of Saint Hierome, of Erasmus, of Delanus, of Castalso, of Stephanus, of the Tigurins or Leo juda, and of Arrias Montanus; where as the Genevian translation of Beza attributeth this triumph to Christ on the Cross, contrary to the common translation, and exposition of ten of the Doctors of the Primitive Church, as shall be showed other where. And truly Christ did triumph over the Principalities and powers when as he did bind Satan, and by his presence terrify the whole infernal forces, the which thing he did not on the cross, for there he suffered himself to be foiled and overcome; but he did it in Satan's own house, and strongest hold. So that his triumph began in hell, in respect of his souls divine vanquishing of the devil, like as it began in the grave, in respect of his Bodies powerful rising from death to life; and it was finished both in soul and body, when he gloriously ascended into heaven. So that they are mightily deceived which do think our Saviour triumphed over Satan and hell upon the cross; for atriumph doth always follow upon a perfect victory, and doth not go before it, much less before the conflict, as our Genevians would ridiculously have it. Thus we see twenty express passages of Scripture for our saviours descending into hell after death, (for so many have we alleged from the first to the last,) where as the Genevians can not produce so much as one text bearing, that Christ's soul went not to hell: only out of two texts in the Gospel, they draw an argument against his descending; the one in that he said to the penitent thief, To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise: 
joh. 23.43.46,  the other in that he said a dying; Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit: but neither doth the one nor the other argument conclude punctually. First the argument doth not follow; Christ's Spirit was in his father's hands, Ergo it was not in hell; for God's hands is in hell aswell as in heaven, according to that of the Psalmist, speaking of our Saviour, belike by way of prophesy; If I ascend into heaven thou art there, if I lie down in hell thou art there; 
Psal. 139, 8,  yea the hand of the Father was with his Son in hell, in a fatherly manner fortifying him, in his conflict against the fury of the whole infernal forces, like as his hand and Spirit, was with him to raise him up from the dead, 
Rom. 8.11.  as the Apostle teacheth. Neither doth the other argument follow, Christ was that day or night in Paradise; Ergo he did not descend into hell; for to speak nothing of his being in Paradise in his Godhead, I say that in his very soul he might without all repugnancy; have gone first to Paradise, which was the place due unto him, being considered as a most perfect and just man, free from sin; and afterwards to hell, which was the place due to all sinners, and even to him, in so far as he became the pledge, and surety for sinners, a sufferer for them both of death and dishonour, and a deliverer of them from sin and Satan, from God's hatred and hell. But God willing in our Latin disputation of the Seat of souls, we shall handle the point of our saviours going to Paradise more accurately; where we shall likewise dispute the question of the place, situation, existence, and use of the terrestrial Paradise, and shall by certain probable arguments make it apparent; how that it was created in the heart of the world upwards, like as hell was created in the heart of the earth downwards. And there shall we refute an error of the learned Spanish jesuite Pererius and of our Genevians touching the nonexistence of Paradise; like as in our work called Dies Domini, which delivereth the doctrine of Hebrews, Greeks' and Latins, Theologians, Philosophers and Historians; touching the world's beginning, lasting and ending, we do refute the same jesuits, and some of our own Protestants common error touching the world's beginning, in the month of September; and that by divers new arguments, besides the authorities of Theologians, Astrologians and Philosophers.   

VI  
Sixtly, as the holy Scripture doth avouch our saviours descending into hell, in his soul after death, in the foresaid five respects; so doth the Catholic or universal Churches common Confession of faith aver it; as may appear by our common Creed, commonly called the Creed of the Apostles, wherein after the mention of our saviours burial, is immediately subjoined his descending into hell, like as after his rising from the dead, he is said to have ascended into heaven. Neither could this point have been expressed in plainer words than it is, for plainness was fittest for the expression of the common faith of Christians. The motion of ascending and the place thereof heaven, are both of them taken literally and properly; and therefore their contraries, descending and hell must likewise be properly taken, without running to a figure. And we may as well deny that in the Creed, ascending signifieth a local motion upwards, and that heaven signifieth the seat of God, and the receptacle of the blessed Spirits, and with all, say that by our saviours ascending into heaven, is signified no other thing else, but his enjoying of some spiritual solace and heavenly joy; as to deny that his descending is a local motion downwards, and that hell is the seat of Satan and of his slaves, and as to say with the Genenians, that by Christ's descending into hell, is nothing else meant, but his feeling of some spiritual sorrows or hellish horror. If hell must be taken by a figure in the Creed, than heaven in the same Creed shall be but another figure; and so should our Creed be but a Creed of figures, and our faith, a faith of figures. And to say that there are many Creeds and confessions of faith (wherein there is no mention made of Christ's descending into hell) it doth not argue that the authors and makers of those confessions, did not believe this point: for other clauses are likewise often wanting, as namely, in the Nicene Creed, these words, Borne of the Virgin Mary, he was buried, he sitteth on the right hand of God, I believe the Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting, aswell as those words, he descended into hell. And yet the Fathers (no doubt) were aswell persuaded of these things they left out, as they were of those things they put in. Again, it is sufficient that in none of the Creeds and confessions that ever were published above threescore, the descending of Christ into hell is denied: for ye shall not read in one of them all, such a clause, I believe that Christ's soul being severed from the body, went not down into hell, but ascended up into heaven. But not only is it not denied so much as in one Creed of many: but also it is affirmed expressly, in some Creeds, as namely, in that of the Apostles, and in that of Saint Athanasius, and implicitly it is in all the Creeds and confessions that ever were made, for more than fifteen hundredth years together: for it is implied in the word suffered, and in the word died. For in Christ the Mediators death, are these three parts; the separation of the soul from the body, the collocation of the body being dead in the grave, as being the body's chamber of death, and the migration of the severed soul into the black house of death, which is hell; where it behoved the souls of all men to be imprisoned, except the Son of God, by descending into that dungeon, had delivered and exempted all believing souls from descending. 
Psal, 107.14, 16. job 38.17.  For he it was that broke those gates of brass, and braced the bars of iron asunder, and to him the gates of hell and of death were opened for fear. It is certain that Christ's soul went to some place after death, and in the Creed we find no place mentioned, but hell, or heaven: now in it there is mention made, of his descending into hell after death, but there is no mention made of his souls ascending, until at what time being risen, after forty days abode with his Disciples, he ascended visibly, in his whole human nature. And that he ascended not into heaven, before that time, we may gather it out of his own words to Mary Magdalen, 
joh. 20.17.  saying, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father; & there is not so much as one letter in the whole Scripture, that showeth that our Saviour was to ascend twice to heaven, or that his soul was to descend twice from heaven: the which double descension and ascension, are inferred necessarily of the Genevian doctrine. And as the word died, in the Creed, doth imply our saviours descending in soul, to the house of death, though not to die, (for Christ's soul could not die) but to overcome death, and to destroy the author of death, the devil, (as the Apostle speaketh) so doth the word of suffering the like. 
1. Cor. 15.55. Heb. 2.14.  For Christ suffered the greatest humiliation and dejection that could be, for man's cause, and therefore it behoved his soul to be humbled unto hell, and without this he had not been subjecteth to the highest degree of humiliation in his soul, as he was to be, answerably to the humiliation of his body, which was in the highest degree, even unto the death of the cross: like as for that cause God exalted him, both in body and soul, in the highest degree, 
Philip. 2.6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.  (as the Apostle teacheth.) So that we see that Christ's local descending into hell, is denied in no Creed, but expressed in some, and implied in all.   

VII.  
seven, the local descent of Christ's soul into hell, is confirmed by the common consent, and constant profession of the Doctors of the primitive Church, in their Sermons, Homilies, Commentaries, Expositions and Glosses, upon the places of Scripture above alleged, about twenty in number; and upon the Creed, especially this article thereof, as shall be showed more particularly in our Latin work by the express testimonies of these three and forty Fathers, Doctors, and writers, Hebrews, Greeks' and Latins, Thaddaeus, Ignatius, justinus Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullianus, Origines, Cyprianus, Arnobius, Lactantius, Eusebius, Athanasius, Hilarius, Socrates, Basilius, Gregorius Nazianzenus, Ambrose, Hieronimus, Ruffinus, Epiphanius, Chrysostomus, Augustinus, Cassianus, Caesarius, Philippus Presbyter, Cyrillus, Primasius, Euthymius, Theodoretus, Leo, Vigilius, Fulgentius, Cassiodorus, Beda, Titus Bostrensis, Didimus, joannes Damascenus, Theophylactus, Oecumenius, Bernardus, Prudentius, Petrus Chrysologus, Rabbi Hoccadosh, Rab. Simeon: whereunto shall be added, some six or seven Counsels, as of Ephesus, Chalcedon, Alexandria, Constantinople, Toledo, Arles and others. So that if the Fathers of the Church have any weight or authority amongst the Genevians, they shall soon see themselves in a manifest error which God grant they may as soon amend.   

VIII.  
Eightly, Christ's local descent into hell after death, is confirmed by the ingenuous reception and subscription of the most part of learned protestant writers, as we shall show in our Latin work, by the testimonies of some thirty; to wit, Luther, Calum, Peter Martyr, Bullmger, Pomeran, Pelican, Chytraeus, Aepinus, Bucer, Illyricus, Selneccer, Lossius, Hemingius, Aretius, Rulandus, Marlerat, Vrbanus Rhegius, Lauater, Vitus Theodorus, Mylius, Musculus, Mollerus, Westhemerus, Heresbachius, Felinus, our countrymen Alexander Alesius, or Aeleis, Bishop Latimer, and Robert Samuel Martyrs, Deane Nowell, Master Fox, with the reverend Bishops and learned Doctors of Fngland, in the time of King Edward the sixth, and afterwards, to this present day of the happy reign of King james the sixth, together with the whole Lutheran Protestants in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Poland, Boheme, Hungary, and other parts of Germany, with some of those, whom they call Calvinians; as namely, that most learned and judicious Italian divine, Hieronymus Zanchius.   

IX.  
ninthly, the doctrine of Christ's local descending into hell, is proved by irrefragable reasons: for first the doctrine of the Church of England doth illustrate, commend and magnify, the love of God towards mankind, where as the doctrine of Geneva obscureth, ecclypseth, and diminisheth it, exceeding much. For it is an argument of great love, that the Son of God would deign to descend from his throne, and seat of majesty, into this earth of vility and misery, which is his footstool: but it is an argument of far greater love, that for our sakes, he would yet descend lower, even so low, as to take upon him the shape of a servant, and in that shape to suffer so shameful a death, as that upon the cross; but it argueth the highest degree of love that could be, in that for our sakes he would descend so low as into the lowest hell, the vile and loathsome dungeon of the damned, to the end that we should not descend thither, nor be damned. Secondly, the very Ground, whereupon the Genevians do found their doctrine of Christ's suffering the pangs of hell, doth prove pregnantly this very point, which they deny of Christ's descending into hell in his soul. The ground is this, It behoved the Mediator of sinful mankind to suffer what was due to sinful mankind, whereupon it followeth necessarily, that he suffered the highest degree of humiliation, to wit to be humbled unto hell in his soul, as his Body was humbled unto the shame of the cross, & the grave, for sinful mankind had deserved this dejection, and should have been humbled so far for his sinful and proud rebelling against God, if our Redeemer had not humbled himself in our stead and for our sakes to exempt, and deliver us from this ignominy. Yea their very doctrine is contradictory to itself, for they hold that Christ was to suffer the torments of hell in his soul, and yet they will not have him go to hell; which two assertions cannot well stand together; for though that the soul may feel the horror, or apprehend the fear & terror of hell, out of hell, 
Psal. 18.4, 5, Mat. 26.37.38 39, 42, 46, Mar. 14.33 34, 35, 36, & 15, 34,  & that our saviours soul did so in the garden and upon the cross, according as the Prophet David had prophesied, of him saying, the sorrows of death and of hell, have compassed me about, and as our Saviour said of himself, My soul is very heavy even unto the death, and as the Evangelists do testify of him, that he began to wax sorrowful: and grievously troubled, to be afraid and in great heaviness, and even in such an agony upon the apprehension of the fearful cup of God's wrath, that he sweat drops of blood, and afterwards cried out, that he felt himself in a manner forsaken of his Father, for our sakes for a while; all which soule-suffering, the Apostle Peter calleth by the name of the sorrows of death, and David, the sorrows of hell; though I say that our Saviour suffered in his soul for our sakes, these horrors and terrors of hell, in the very garden and on the cross, yet he could not suffer the pangs, pains, or torments of hell, without being in hell, no more than one can enjoy, the joys of heaven out of heaven. But the truth is, that Christ's soul was no more capable of those torments of hell, than it was of desperation or damnation. And though he descended into hell, yet it was not to suffer torment, but only the highest degree of humiliation and debasement, and with all to begin his highest exaltation in the same very place, where his lowest humiliation did end. Thirdly, the doctrine of the Church of England doth magnify and set out the Majesty of Christ's victory and conquest, where as the doctrine of Geneva doth obscure and diminish the Majesty thereof. For who knoweth not, but that it is a greater glory for a King or Captain to vanquish and conquer his enemy in his own kingdom, and to make his enemies own palace his prison, then to do it elsewhere? Wherefore seeing our Saviour achieved the greatest, and the most glorious conquest that ever was, and triumphed the most magnificently; 
Mat. 12.29.  we must needs believe, that he did it in Satan's the strong ones own house, castle and kingdom, as it is in the Gospel, and as the Church of England together with the Primitive doth believe and teach; and not that he did it out of hell, or on the cross, as they jargon at Geneva.   

X.  
Tenthly and lastly, the verity of the Church of England's doctrine touching our saviours descending into hell, may appear by the contradictions, oppositions, and dissensions, and fanatical expositions of such as have oppugned it, or dissented from it; some expounding those words, he descended into hell, of our saviours burial, others of his detention in the grave, and the most part of his suffering the pains and torments of hell, in the garden, and on the cross; some have expounded it of his translating into the state of the dead, and some have been so fanatical, as to say, that his descending into hell, meaneth no other matter but the ascending of his soul into heaven after death. And as some of them have most unlearnedly and ridiculously understood heaven by hell in the Creed, and ascending by descending, which is all one with the taking water for fire, or God for the devil, so have they as unlearnedly and ridiculously construed divers other places of Scripture. In the sixteen Psalm, by the Hebrew word NEPHESH, 
Psal. 16, 10. Act. 2.27.  and in the second of the Acts by the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 (both which do signify the soul) they understand the body, which is the contrary part, and the other half of man, a thing that no learning divine or human will suffer. And though a man perhaps might excuse such a simple or single Ignoramus as this; yet how can he excuse it, when it is doubled? for those Genevians will have the word soul to signify the body and a dead body, which in all learning divine, or human, signifieth always a living substance; and either the principal part, which is the soul, and that properly, or else the whole person, figuratively. And as these admirable Metamorphosers of Geneva, turn in one place hell into heaven and descending into ascending, even black into white, and in another place, Christ's living soul they turn into his dead Body; so do they turn hell into the grave, for the Hebrew word SHEOL; and the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉, which do properly and principally signify hell (as the learned in these languages do well know, and as we shall show particularly otherwhere, by alleging the testimonies of the best Hebricians and Grecians) but especially when the word of Soul is thereunto annexed, as it is in the sixteenth Psalm, and in the second of the Acts, they do translate Grave and not Hell; which is not only the secondary and improper signification of those two words, but also quite repugnant to those texts of Scripture, wherein mention is made of the condition of Christ's soul: For though it be true that the said two words do sometimes signify the grave, yet it is but secondarily and improperly, and when the word of Body or flesh is joined thereunto, but never when the word of Soul, is annexed, as it is in those two places of Scripture, and because they see the absurdity that should ensue of saying that Christ's soul should be buried in a grave, therefore for preventing one absurdity, they run into another: for as they turn hell into grave, so do they Christ's living soul into his dead body, the most blockish and stockish abusing of Scripture, that ever was heard tell off: yea more, the most impious, for in so doing they join with the professed enemies of Christ both jews, Arrian, and Apollinarian Heretics. For first such Genevian expositors join with the jews, who (as Aepinus the Protestant superintendant of Hamburge, writeth upon the sixteenth Psalm) to overthrow the certainty of our faith, concerning Christ's descension into hell and his resurrection, did by the word soul, understand life, (though it be not so bad, nor so far fetched as Bezas dead body) and by the word hell, they understand grave, as the Genevians do. And next they join and jump with the old Arrian and Apollinarian Heretics, which denied our saviours true human soul, and therefore understood those Scriptures as the Genevians do, and not as the orthodox father's understood them, that out of those Scriptures, refuted their fooleries, as Athanasius, Theodoretus, Epiphanius, Cyprianus, Augustinus, Fulgentius, Hieronymus, Ambrose, Philippus Presbyter, Ruffinus, Cassiodorus, Euthymius, Beda, Petrus Chrysologus, and others whom the Church of England doth follow: all which shall be (God-willing) particularly proved in our Latin work. And the Genevians do join with the same Apollinarian heretics in understanding by the Spirit of Christ in the third chapter of the first Epistle of Saint Peter, 
1. Pet. 3.18.19.  his Divinity or Godhead, and not his human Spirit; though the other half of his humanity, to wit his flesh be there mentioned with it: like as in the same text, they turn Christ's person, into Noah's, and Christ's preaching in Spirit unto dead men's spirits after his passion, into Noah's preaching in body unto living men, many hundredth years before the passion, and incarnation. Where note how that contrary to all learning divine and human, they expound the word Spirit of a living man, and not of the soul of one deceased. And in the same absurd manner, they turn Christ's wrestling upon the cross, into triumphing, and make him to sing his own triumph before his full and absolute victory. Finally, as in expounding the Gospel they turn the heart or middle of the earth into a Tomb, 
Math. 12.40. & 27.60.  which was not so much as within the foreskin (if I may so speak) of the earth, so in expounding the Epistle, they turn the lower or lowest parts of the earth, 
Eph. 4.8.9.  whereinto our saviours soul descended, into the upmost parts or surface of the earth, where in body he conversed, when he was upon earth. So that they turning thus upside down, both in Gospel and Epistle as they do, we have as little cause to jump or join with Geneva in this point, as we have to run with Rome for the finding out of their fanatical Limbus Patrum.  
And thus I have by a tenfold probation, cleared the truth of the doctrine of the Church of England touching our saviours descending into hell, and have with all dispelled the clouds and mists, both of Roman and Genevian opinions. For as it is most certain that our saviours soul did after death descend into hell, which our Genevians do most unlearnedly and ignorantly deny, so is it as certain, that he descended into the very lowest hell, and not to any upper region or subterraneal Limbus Patrum, to deliver the Fathers, as the Romans do imagine; for we shall prove both by Scriptures and Fathers, and many pregnant reasons, that they went presently after death into Paradise; and that there is no other Limbus or lodge for Fathers or Infants either, but it, nor no other Purgatory after this life, but the fire of God's Spirit in the same Paradise. And in the same work, we shall likewise dispute the question, whether our Saviour went first into Paradise, before he went down to hell; and whether the souls of the patriarchs, went in his company, to be witnesses of his victory in hell? wherefore I would wish with all my heart, that for the furthering of the peace of the Church, both Romans and Genevians, Papists and Puritans would subscribe unto the doctrine of the Church of England in this point, and borrow from her the gold of this orthodoxal doctrine, as they would she should borrow from them some thing that they can show as good warrant for, as the Church of England can do for this. And let them both, do as they please, one thing I dare undertake to prove by public disputation, in any College in Christendom, and shall shall do it, (God willing) before a few years go about, in King james his College; that the Romans cannot show so much Scripture, and so many testimonies of Fathers, nor so many pregnant reasons, for any two positions or opinions that they differ in from the Church of England, as we shall show for this one, touching Christ's descending into the dungeon of the damned, to deliver us from descending. And again, that all the Genevians in Christendom (though they should join their whole wits together) shall never be able to show so many authorities, testimonies, reasons and arguments, fetched from Scriptures, Fathers, and Doctors, for the probation of the whole opinions, that they differ in from the Church of England, as we shall show for the probation of this one position, only against them. The which being well considered, I hope my Country men will not be so fond of every Gloss, that goeth forth from Geneva, as to take all to be undoubtedly true; and that hereafter they will not applaud promiscuously all their peddling and paltry opinions; seeing some of them are so absurd and ridiculous, and other some so unlearned and impious as we have now showed and can show; how that they commit the like incongruities, absurdities, errors and impieties in their popular parity, amongst Ministers, in their lay-presbytery, in their exploding of Prelacy, in their denying of the Christian Princes Ecclesiastical faculty and sacred immunity from secular coercion and ecclesiastical censure: and to be brief, in their suppressing and opposing of such religious ceremonies, and solemnities as have been used of the ancient Christians through out the whole world, in the most flourishing and prospering ages of the Church. The which errors and defects, I pray the God of Unity and Verity to give them grace speedily to amend. Amen.   
FINIS.   

Errata.  
IN the Epistle, page 6. line 19 for enough read enough, In the Contents numb. 9 for honourable in some copies read honourably, & num. 17. after sont, read for, in stead of or, in some copies. In the first Treat. p. 10. lin. 17 in some copies put out whensoever, p. 35. lin. 9 for fabulous read frivolous, pag. 56. lin. 17. for he overseers, read the overseers, pag. 40. lin 11. for Churchmen being, read Church-members, pag. 45. lin 23. for the other, read their other, pag. 51. lin. 29. between resembled and ours, read, by, in some copies, p. 71 l. 10. after had seen, add him. Tract. 2. pag. 10. line 31. in some copies read Tarina for Taxina, and Artemisia for Artenisia, pag. 16. lin. 6. for the death, read the dead.