[...] Law, bée neglected for sauing the life of a King, vpon whom so many liues depend▪ So that neither the seale of Confession doth frée vs from any part of the duties of allegiance vnto our So­ueraigne.

If the bond of Al­legiance from subiects vnto their Prince is so inuiolable, that no­thing, no not the seale of Con­fession, can dissolue it; is there no meanes to stay the fury of a Soue­raigne Commander, If he should be so Tyrannous, and profane, as to endeauour to oppresse the whole Church at once, and vtter­ly to extinguish the light of Chri­ [...] Religion▪ [...]

obedience vnto their Soueraigne, is grounded vpon the law of Na­ture; beginning with our first be­ginning: For as wee bée borne Sonnes, so we are borne Subiects; his Sonnes, from whose loynes; his Subiects in whose Dominions wee are borne. The same duties of subiects are also enioyned by the morall law, and particularly (as you shewed in the verie en­trance vnto this out Conference) in the fift commandement, Ho­nour thy Father and thy Mother:where, as wée are required to honour the Fathers of priuate families, so much more the Fa­ther of our country and the whole Kingdome. And as the Bishop of Rome cannot dispense with these lawes imposing vpon vs obedi­ence vnto his Maiestie, so neither with the oath wée take to perse­uere in this obedience. When Dauid said, I haue [...] sworne that I will keepe thy righteous iudge­ [...]

obedience vnto excommunicated Princes: besides, excommunica­tion (according to the doctrine of the Aquin. in sup. que 23. Tolet Inst. Sacerd. l: 1. c. 9. Romanists themselues) doth not frée a seruant from obe­dience vnto his Master, or a sonne vnto his Father. And Kings are as Masters, and Sub­iects as Seruants; for so Dauidcal­leth Saul 1 Sam. 24.11. his Master, and stileth himselfe his 1 Sam. Seruant: Kinges are as 2 Chro. 29. Debora a mother in Israel. Iudg. 5.7. Fathers, and subiects as Sonnes; for so King Ezechias was a Father ouer the Fathers of his people, euen the Priests, and therefore much more ouer the rest of his subiects. As then excom­munication doth not dissolue the bond of duty betwéene Fathers and Sonnes, of seruice betwéene Masters and Seruants, no more doth it the bond of fidelity be­twéene Princes and their Sub­iects. And so at length I haue [...]oued vnto you, that neither sup­ [...] [...]

nor the Episcopall Acts of dispensation, and excommuni­cation; and so in effect, that no­thing can frée subiects from their fidelitie and allegiance vnto their Prince.

Nothing! The seale of confession doth at least in part free some subiects from spe­ciall duties of obedience vnto their Soueraigne; as Priests from reuealing treasons and Conspira­cies which they know, as Ghostly Fathers, from the penitent. For if conspiracies or treasons bee known vnto a Priest in confessiō, the bond thereof doth bind him to conceale it, Aquin▪ in sup. q. 11. Art. 1. because they are knowne vnto him as vnto GOD, whose Vicar he is in hearing the humble confessions of repentant Sinners.

If Priests in confessions doe vnderstand of treasons and other [...]mous [...]

[...] [...]mon­weale as GOD, and as his Vicars; then they are to imi­tate GOD, whom they would represent, in the discouering of these greiuous crimes. For GOD alwaies doth after a mi­raculous manner, and (as it were) by his owne immediate finger bring to light crying sinnes, when they are done in secret, and for a time are in wrap­ped in darknesse.

Did he not by the birds of the aire detect the murder of Ibycus vt pe­rijt, vi [...]de [...] fuit alti [...]gens. A [...]s [...]. Iby­cus? And because the persons of Princes are more sacred then the persons of priuate men, GOD hath made a speciall [...] Kings, by the [...] Heauen (that is) after a strange and miracu­lous manner, if by ordinary meanes they shall not be reuea­led. And therefore some Priests of France haue detected intend­ments [Page 86] of treason, onely in thought, heard by them in confes­sion: and the Authors of these in­tendments haue béene punished with death. A Bodin. lib. 2. di Repub. ca. 5. Gentleman of Normandy in France confessed vnto a Frier Minor, that hée had once a resolution to murther King Francis, and that hée repen­ted of his wicked purpose. The Frier gaue him absolution, but reuealed his wicked purpose vnto the King: and after de­liberation had thereof in the Parliament of Paris, the Gen­tleman was executed; and the Frier not punished with any censure of the Church for his de­tectio [...] [...] [...]ents con [...]ing their sinnes, not to conceale these sinnes if they bee enormous and dangerous vn­to the publike state; but accor­ding to their commission; (whose sinnes ye remit, they are remit­ted) 2 Ioh. 20. [Page] to declare vnto them the re­mission of their sinnes as they are offences onely against GOD, and before his heauenly Tribu­nall.

But the law of the Church commandeth Priests to conceale all such sinnes as come vnto their Knowledge by way of Confession.

This Lawe of the Church is but the Law of Pope [...] Innocent the third, cited in the decretalls (for he is the most ancient Author that the [...] Roma­nists can alledge for their seale of Confession:) But were it a Law of the whole Church, it is [...] [Page] béene then in his fulnesse of pow­er, could hee haue dispensed with this oath? And so if any now, by the example of Dauid, sweare to kéepe Gods righteous iudge­ments of not committing adulte­ry, or of honouring their Parents, and Magistrates; hee cannot frée them from this oath: but if wee violate both these commande­ments, we are as well Rebels, as Adulterers.

Are not the ex­communications of the Bishoppe of Rome of more force to loose the bond of allegiance, then his dispensations?

These likewise haue no power to worke this effect. Excommunication vpon a contempt vnto the Church doth not make a man worse then an ^d Ethnike: but you haue heard that both S. Peter and S. Paul ear­nestly exhort vs to be subiect vnto heathen, and Ethnicke Princes; [...] [Page 89] they doe labour to effect so hai­nous an impiety, the onely meanes we haue to appease their fury is serious repentance for our sinnes, which haue brought this chastisement vpon vs; and hum­ble prayer vnto GOD, who guideth the hearts of Princes like riuers of waters. You know how before the comming of CHRISTthe visible Church was onely a­mongst the Iewes; and that whiles they were Captiues vn­der the Persian Monarches, As­suerus at the instigation of Haman sent forth a decrée to Ester. [...]. destroy them all both young & old, chil­dren and women in one day. [...] [Page 90] Ester. cap. 4. great sorrow amongst them, and fasting and weeping, many ly­ing in sacke-cloth and ashes, to humble them-selues vnder the mightie hand of GOD for their sinnes, and to auert his wrath hanging ouer their heads, by the crueltie of so bloody a Tyrant.

And the ancient Christians, vpon the like occasions, imita­ted these Iewes. For when they were threatned by Iulian the Apostata, with an vtter extinction of Christianitie, they hindred and Nazianz. ora. 1. in Iulian. repressed him with their teares, hauing this onely remedie against the Persecuter. If any therefore are oppressed [...] [Page 91] the sinnes of offenders, are the strength of Tyrants.

To be freed from Tyrannie and oppression in this world, is a temporall benefit: and many times GOD hearkneth not vnto our praiers for tempo­rall benefits. How then are faithfull and loyall subiects to comfort them-selues, against the pressures of mercilesse Ty­rants?

Their onely comfort in this case, is that which Saint Augustine long since ministred vnto them. The rod of sinners (saith hee, spea­king of wicked Masters [...] but [...]tim [...] [...]ill come when one GOD shall be acknowledged: The time will come, when one CHRIST, ap­pearing in his brightnesse, shall gather before him all Nations; [Page 92] and seuer them, as a Pastor se­uereth his Goates from the sheep, and place his sheepe vpon his right hand, and his Goates vpon his left. And then thou shalt see many seruants, and subiects, amongst the sheepe, and many masters, and Princes, amongst the Goates: and againe many masters, and Princes, a­mongst the Sheepe, and many subiects and Seruants amongst the Goates. So when all other helpes and comforts doe fayle distressed subiects; the day of Iudgement, the ende of all tran­sitory things will bring an ende [...] this [...] GOD so to affect the hearts both of Princes and Subiects, with a serious and frequent cogitation of this last Iudgement; that they in Gouerning▪ these in Obeying, [Page 93] both in all their actions, De Reg. & Mo­nacho. and whatsoeuer they doe, may (with Saint Hierome) haue the voyce of the Archangell alwaies soun­ding in their eares, Arise from the dead, and come vnto iudgement.