A14239:59
A sermon preached before the Commons-House [sic] of Parliament, in Saint Margarets Church at…A sermon preached before the Commos-House [sic] of Parliament, in Saint Margarets Church at…
A sermon preached before the Commons-House [sic] of Parliament, in Saint Margarets Church at Westminster, the 18. of February. 1620. By James Usher. Professor of Divinity in the University of Dublin, in IrelandA sermon preached before the Commos-House [sic] of Parliament, in Saint Margarets Church at Westminster, the 18. of February. 1620. By Iames Vssher. Professor of Diuinitie in the Vniuersitie of Dublin, in Ireland
London: printed by I.Dawson for John Bartlett, 1624London: printed by I.Dawson for Iohn Bartlett, 1624
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Lastly, for private persons, we may read in Suarez, that an heretical King, eafter sentence given against him, is absolutely deprived of his Kingdom, so that he cannot possess it by any just title: and therefore from thenceforth may be handled altogether as a Tyrant; and consequently, he may be killed by any private person. Only the Jesuit addeth this limitation: that fIf the Pope do depose the King, he may be expelled or killed by them only to whom he shall commit that business. But if he enjoin the execution thereof to no body; then it shall appertain to the lawful successor in the Kingdom: or if none such be to be found, it shall belong to the Kingdom it self. But let him once be declared to be a Tyrant; Mariana (Suarez his Country-man and fellow Jesuit) will tell you better how he should be handled. gThat a Tyrant (saith he) may be killed by open force and arms, whether by violent breaking in ⟨p. 46⟩into the Court, or by joining of battle, is a matter confessed: yea, and by deceit and ambushes too, as Ehud did in killing Eglon the King of the Moabites. Indeed it would argue a braver mind to profess open enmity, and publicly to rush in upon the enemy of the Common-wealth: but it is no less prudence, to take advantage by fraud and ambushes, because it is done without stir, and with less danger surely, both public and private. His conclusion is, that hit is lawful to take away his life, by any art whatsoever: with this proviso only, that he be not constrained either wittingly or unwittingly to be the cause of his own death. Where the tenderness of a Jesuits conscience is well worth the observing. He maketh no scruple at all to take away the mans life: only he would advise that he be not made away, by having poison conveyed into his meat or drink, lest in taking hereof (forsooth) he which is to be killed, should by this means have some hand in procuring his own death. iYet poison him you may, if you list, so that the venom be externally applied by some other, he that is to be killed helping nothing thereunto: namely, when the force of the poison is so great, that a seat or garment being infected therewith, it may have strength to kill. And that such means of poisoning hath been used, he proveth by divers practices of the Moors: