The second tome of homilies of such matters as were promised, and entitled in…The second tome of homilees of such matters as were promised, and intituled in…

Some of the children of Israel being murmurers against their magistrates appointed over ¹them by God, were stricken with foul leprosy: many were burnt up with fire suddenly sent from the Lord: sometime a great sort of thousands were consumed with the pestilence: sometime they were stung to death with a strange kind of fiery serpents: and (which is most horrible) some of the captains with their band of murmurers, not dying by any usual or natural death of men, but the earth opening, they with their ²wives, children, and families were swallowed quick down into hell. Which horrible destructions of such Israelites as were murmurers against Moses, appointed by God to be their head and chief magistrate, are recorded in the book of Numbers, and other places of the scriptures for perpetual memory and warning to all subjects, how highly God is displeased with the murmuring and evil speaking of subjects against their princes, for that as the scripture recordeth, ³their murmur was not against their prince only, being a mortal creature, but against God him self also. Now if such strange and horrible plagues, did fall upon such subjects as did only murmur and speak evil against their heads: what shall become of those most wicked imps of the devil that do conspire, arm them ⟨p. 585⟩selves, assemble great numbers of armed rebels, & lead them with them against their prince and country, spoiling and robbing, killing, and murdering all good subjects that do withstand them, as many as they may prevail against? But those examples are written to stay us, not only from such mischiefs, but also from murmuring, or speaking once an evil word against our prince, which though any should do never so secretly, yet do the holy scriptures show that the very birds of the air will bewray them: and these so many examples before noted out of the ⁴same holy scriptures do declare, that they shall not escape horrible punishment therefore. Now concerning actual rebellion, amongst many examples thereof set forth in the holy scriptures, the example of Absalom is notable: who entering into conspiracy against king David his father, both used the advice of very witty men, and assembled