Selected quad for the lemma: book_n
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A64174
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An humble desired union betweene prerogative and priviledge shewing, that if one draw too hard one way, and the other another, the whole common-wealth must be in danger to be pull'd in sunder.
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Taylor, John, 1580-1653.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing T468; ESTC R2073
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4,120
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10
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An humble DESIRED UNION BETWEENE PREROGATIVE And PRIVILEDGE SHEWING That if one draw too hard one way and the other another the whole COMMON-WEALTH must be in danger to be pull'd in sunder The Serpent AMPHISBENA This double headed SERPENT is a Wonder It drawes two wayes and teares the womb in sunder The wofull EMBLEM of a troublâ—d STATE VVhere Civill WARRES doe threat to ruinate Imprinted at London by Richard Olion 1642. An humble DESIRED UNION BETWIXT PREROGATIVE and PRIVILEDGE COncord or discord have bin are and will be either the raising or ruine of Kingdoms and Common-Wealths And as 2 heads are too many for one body as the Picture of the African Serpent shewes eitheir to rule or to be ruled when the wills and affections are violently extended to contrary attractions then such distractions are the fore-runners of destructions And what true English understanding heart doth not moane grieve and is fild with horror and amazement to see know and feele the Calamitie of this somtimes flourishing famous renowned Kingdom to see it transform'd into an Acheldama so many of our fertile fields and pastures turn'd into the horrid shapes of so many Golgotha's this land that hath had so many innumerable undeservd blessings from God that it hath long bin admired of and esteem'd the Eden or Paradice of the world the support to all our forraign friends and the scourge and terror of our Enemies to be so suddainly chang'd and Metamorphosed so rent and torne with factions divisions and contentions that her peacefull bowels are ript up and her intrailes plowâ—d with the slaughtering swords of her owne unnaturall and undutifull sonnes when Gods Commandements which were wont to be the rule and guide of all our Actions are now slighted contemn'd and trampled under foote when too many doe preach and teach the breach of both the first and second table and in stead of exhorting men to Peace and Unity they thunder and bluster Warre and blood-shed But all the world may know that such Pastors and Teachers were not sent by him whom they pretend and fainedly seeme to serve for the Eternall Prince of Peace never gave any of his servants any command or Commission to raise Warre especially Domestique Civill vncivill Warre and surely those nimble talking tong-men that talke so hotly of Battailes they would not willingly be at one themselves and thâ—y doe know chat a whole skin is a good cover to sleepe in The Weapons that Gods Ministers should use in their Warfare was wont to be praiers and teares onely all the persecuted and Martyr'd Protestants that suffered in the bloody Raigne of Queene Mary had no other Armes to oppose Authority noe Imprisonment Banishment losse of goods Fathers Mothers Wives Sons Daughters kindred or friends could shake their loyalty no Racks Tortures or Tyrannicall Torments nor Death in most cruell waies of flame fire and faggot could alter the Allegiance of Protestants in those times so that there was not any one of them did attempt at any time to raise divisions to disturbe either the Queene or State therefore if we be of the same ancient Religion which they then profest and hath bin since maintained these 84 yeares in this Kingdom then we have more reason then they had to be obediently thankfull for it because we do or may enjoy the blessings and benefits of it in secure peace and tranquillity which they could not Love is the Livery which the servants of our Saviour doth weare for he saith By this shall all men know that you are my Disciples if yee have love one to another Joh. 13. 35. Now love and peace have no communion or fellowship with War especially in one and the same Kingdom betwixt one and the same Nation pretending to professe one and the same Religion nor do these men shew themselves to be Christs Ministers or Disciples that stir up division betwixt us for every Kingdom divided against it selfe shall be brought to nought and every City or House divided against it selfe shall not stand Mathew 12. 25. In the Raigne of King Richard the first surnamed Cor de Lyon or Lions heart there was a Bishop in this Land that Rebelled against the King who was taken in a Battell and clap't in Prison the Newes of the Bishops imprisonment being carried to Rome the Pope Benedict the 2 sent a Letter to the King for the Bishops inlargement wherein hee declared that the Bishop was a servant of God a Reverend Father and likewise the Pope wrote that hee was his Sonne to which Letter the King returned an answer to the Pope to this effect May it please your Holynesse If this be a Habit or Coate for a Church-man and one of your Sonnes I pray you Judge for I tooke him fighting in this Coat of compleate Armour The King thus sending and the Pope seeing the Armour sent this replie May it please your Majestie such a garment as this belongs to no Son of mine and therefore as he is in prison there let him lie for me It were well if every man and woman were at deadly Warre with their transgressions such a Warr would make our peace with God and the God of Peace would give us the blessing of his peace which passeth all understanding How can peace be expected if we continue in our wickednesse and wallow in Impieties esteeming peace at that low rate as if it were not worth the praying for or the desiring for without any command from Authority some strange opinioned men have thrust out of the Church that needfull prayer Give peace in our time O lord Almighty and most Merifull Father is omitted and neglected the Creede is left out and unbeliefe and Infidellity hath intruded too much into the roome of it and the Commandements are not repeated and in the place of all these is crep't in a confused Masse of Toutalogicall Long-winded Repetitions with the fearefull Instigations and Incitements to provocations of Hostility and Mischiefe Mr. Iohn Stow relates in his Chronicle pag 697 that in the 25 yeare of Queene Elizabeths blessed Raigne Anno 1583. on the 4 and 6 of Iune one Elias Thacker and one Iohn Copizg were hang'd at St Edmondsbury in Suffolke for dispersing Libells and Pamplets against the Booke of Common Prayer which were written by one Iohn Browne one of the first mad Apostles of the Sect of the Brownists There are no Protestants but will confesse that that Queene of happy and famous memory was a true defendresse of the Faith professed by the Protestants that she hazarded her life for it divers times in the bloody raigne of her Sister and in the whole course of her 44 yeares Raigne many Romish Treasons were plotted and attempted against her only because she maintained that Booke which was then no mass-Masse-booke though now it be esteemed so and if any Popery had bin then perceived to be in it that glorious and godly Princesse would never have protected it neither would two great Protestant Kings
since her Reigne have profest and maintained it 40 yeares yet I am of opinion that somethings may be omitted in it some things reform'd some things dissolv'd but the most correspondent to Scriptures manners and good life I hope shall be ever upheld and maintained by all understanding Protestants Thus the vaine scattering opinions of some selfewill'd some ignorant some Ambitious some Presumptuous and some malitious Turbulent spiriits have drawne the Church and State several wayes that the poore Common-Wealth which is the body of the Kingdome is almost pulld in twaine as is Emblematically shewed in the Picture of the two headed Serpent There are too great a number that have gotten the wisdom of the old serpent but there are few that are possest with the Innocency of the Dove the old Serpent is a malitious breaker of Peace and a diligent Laborer for Warre his onely businesse is to make us wicked and he knowes that for the sinnes of a people God sends War for a punishment 1 Kings 8 35 37. He knowes Warre doth plunge a Nation into misery and that the breach of all Gods lawes is Attendant upon Warre and Inseparably joyne with it Pride like a Gentleman Usher goes before destruction odious swearing Impious Prophanation damnable disobedience execrable murders shamelesse adulteries Incests Rapes and deflorations Lawlesse Stealing and plundering and all the Crimes and Calamities that may bring poor and miserable mankind to distruction are Incident to Warre and continuall waiters on Mars and Bellona Yet there is nothing more uncertaine then the events of Warre nor is there any thing more unsure then the successe of a battell for though it be never so prudently pondered by the most wise and valiant counsell of the best and most expert Leaders though the plot be contrived by the best Iudgments of the most knowing Commanders as how to gaine the advantage of ground wind sun how the Front Van Reare Flanks Wings and body of an Army shall or may prevaile and be victorious yet all these serious consultations have found most strange alterations and as a man that presumes to reckon without his Hoste is quite out and must begin againe for They are most blind with ignorance besotted VVho think Warrs councell in a Chamber plotted Must be so acted with the dint of sword As it was wisely talkd of at the board Me thinks the Proverbe should not be forgot The Warrs are sweet to those that knowes them not But if there were any sweet content in Warre it may rather be so either in a forraigne Warre abroade against Turkes Infidels Iesuiticall Papists or any of Gods and our Nations Enemies such Warrs as those may not onely be Tolerable but Commendable Profitable and Honourable But for Englishmen for Brittaines for Protestants to Warre against Protestants the Fathers against their Sonnes and the Sonnes against their Fathers when one Brother shall sheath his sword in the Bowells of another when a King is against his Subjects and Subjects against their Soveraigne this kind of Warre is unpleasing to God and a good King unprofitable distastfull to true and Loyall Subjects and dishonourable to all God forbid that Prerogative of Kings should be too much stretched or diminished any way or that Priviledge should shrink to enslave or pinch the liberty of free-borne Subjects Our King doth know that if he defend the Faith the Faith will save him and he further knowes that he must maintaine his Lawes or else his Lawes cannot defend him The King knowes that though Kings are called Gods on earth yet they are but Gods of earth or earthen Gods and loyall Subjects do obediently love and honour the King Good Kings may be compared to Lightning because as Lightning doth never hurt Wooll or any soft unresistable substance but it violently penetrates breakes and melts Trees Rocks and Mettalls so a good King doth never proceed in wrath against milde and gentle natures I would we could thinke upon the great mischiefes that the divisions betwixt Scilla and Marius brought to the Roman Empire the massacres that long continued in Italy betweene the Guelphes and Gibelines or the unnaturall dissension that bloodily embrewd this Kingdom 80 and od yeares betwixt the Royall Families of Yorke and Lancaster and as Brothers in one House do often jarre and disagree yet if one of them be injured by a stranger the other will take his part so let all English-men or Britaines King and Subjects great or small like Brothers take it to heart how they are all abused by the common enemy the Rebells in Ireland and God grant that the King may be defended from all false friends and fierce enemies that we may all be united in peace here and jointly and unanimously relieve the opressed and distressed calamities under which our poore Protestant Brethren have so long suffered and do still groane under in Ireland These shall be the daily prayers and humble desires of IOHN TAYLOR FINIS