Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	see_v	word_n	write_v	4,744	5	5.2335	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90669	Mock-majesty: or, the siege of Munster. Being a true story of those fine things, wherewith King Iohn Becock, at first a botcher of Leiden by profession, and his companions the Anabaptists, pleased themselves after they were become masters of that city. You shall here likewise have the issue of the whole mock-show. Imprimatur, James Cranford.	Phillippson, J.	1645 (1645)	Wing P2120; Thomason E270_20; ESTC R212338	27,128	34

in and abated his power he rages not and plaies his prancks according to his owne will and desire but onely so farre as the Divine permission had given him leave For this evill Spirit all whose endeavour is to subvert the Christian Faith would not likely make use of such meanes as to perswade the marriage of many wives at once thereby to effect and bring about what hee aimed at because the hainousnesse and foulness of the thing it self being confessed of all hands he knew full well how all men not yet bereft of their right reason would abominate it and cry it downe with shame The Civill polity indeed and government may in some sort be troubled and shaken hereby but Christs Kingdome must be assaulted by other kind of battery then this He that will undertake to inveagle and draw men into snares must by no meanes affect Empire and command much lesse act the Tyrant This being detested alike by all men and all eyes being broad open to observe and interpret whereto such counsells tend they must goe to worke by more hidden meanes as is were by-way pathes if they intend their designes shall obtaine wished for issue and take effect A sordid and uncouth attire a behaviour of the countenance to composedness and austerity a hanging of the head with dejected looks frequent fastings and an utter refusall of the very touch of money abstinence from flesh-meats and marriage a deniall of obedi●nce to Magistrates and a generall disrespect to all kind of temporall or civill dominion with an outward profession however of extraordinary humility in themselves By these meanes indeed and by such close policy as this even wise men have been overreach●t and by such dark and mysterious courses some have made a way and entrance to great sway and Power But as here by extream impudence to arrogate and usurpe the power of a King and according to the unrulinesse of unbounded lust to take away wives that this was the trick of some shallow and untaught Devill or else if hee had all his cunning and sl ghts about him that he was so fetter'd and chain'd by an over-mastering Power that he c●uld not make use of his tricks at his own pleasure Which no doubt God does to no other end then that wee should entertaine a more reverentiall respect of the Divine Providence and be the sooner excited to Repentance and amendment of our wayes before God give him liberty for the full ex rcise of his practises who certainly then will set upon ut wi●h redoubled forces For if this same poore and contemptible Scribe-Devill can of himself raise such Tumults and Vproares what shall we doe when the great Devill himself with all his knowledge and Arts about him sh●ll come with full saile against us and give us a broad-side being both a cunning Lawyer and a crafty Divine Wherefore no such great feare or thought ought to be entertained concerning this so untrim and untutor'd a Devill Besides I am fully perswaded that this Paegeant and meck-show is not so well approved of by all in the City but th●t it occasions great grief and sad thoughts of heart to most there who no doubt with teares and sighes daily Petition for and expect a deliverance from Gods hands as formerly happened in that tumultuary insurrection of the Rusticks and ill advised people lately among us And I could w sh from my heart that there were no spirit in the whole world more cunning and crafty then is this Munster-Devill For so long as God doth not quite take away his Word and Gospel from among us there can certainely be but few and those not very wise who will suffer themselves to be drawne away by so sot●ish and unsober a master Notwithstanding I must confesse that when the wrath and anger of God is kindled against any people there is no errour so unreasonable or absurd which the Devill cannot easily perswade them unto as wee plain y see it happened in the Doctrine of Mahomet For though the whole composition and frame thereof be but a continued piece of extreame folly and sensuality yet upon the removall or rather putting out of the divine light of Gods Word among them it assumed to it selfe that strength and vigor and spread it self to that large extent and power which at this day Christendome beholds and witnesses with no lesse wonderment them ●ha●● And indeed except God had by his Goodnesse and Providence repressed the attempts and insolencies of Muncer Thomas M●●cer Sleida●● l. 5. Germany had now been in no better a condition For although the Devill by Gods permission can sometimes blow a small spark into a generall flame and scath-fire however there is no more compendious way of extinguishing it then by the Word of God For seeing all the Armour of our enemy is uncorporeall and spirituall it is not Troopes of Horses or other warlike preparations that can quell and overcome him Now as for those Bookes written and published by them of Munster wherein in lively colours they paint and set forth to view their owne folly and madnesse In the first place their Doctrines containe in them extreme forpperies and absurdities and that in matters of faith For speaking of Christ they say hee is not sprung of the seed of the Virgin Mary to use their own words although they confess him to come of the seed of David Here they unfold not the matter sufficiently as it requires And certainly the Devill herein conceales some monstrous mystery for his owne ends intimating unto us and that too not obscurely that the seed or fl●sh of Mary can not deliver and save u● But hee loses his labour For the Scripture tells us that Christ was borne of the Virgin Mary which word in all Languages Isai 11.1 Gal. 4.4 is understood of the Childe which being conceived and fashioned of the flesh of the Mother is brought forth into the World Againe whereas they condemne former Baptisme as profane and unholy therein also they shew their little skill For they conceive and think of it not as a thing of Gods appointment but onely as the worke of man Wherefore if whatsoever the wicked conferre or receive ought thus to be slighted and rejected I wonder indeed why they also refute not and fling away gold and silver and other treasures plundred from the ungodly and devise not and coine for themselves some new invented materialle For Baptisme is the worke and creature of God as well as all these When an ungodly man sweares hee does wrong to the Name of God but if the Name of God be not a true Name to him he offends not He that robs or steales or commits rapine breakes the Law of God But if the Law be not a true Law to him hee trespasses not So also if the former Baptisme be nothing neither doe they sinne any thing that are baptized therewith Why therefore doe they detest this Baptisme as an ungodly thing when as

mischiefe and calamity that every bodie began now plainely to perceive what was their main drift and aime the suppressing of all Lawes the overthrow and utter ruine of Common-weales And that as their attempt for the maine of it was altogether ungodly and execrable so this their request to have a hearing of their Cause was wholly feigned and counterfeit That for his part he had formerly sent unto them faithfull Ministers of the Gospel by whom without all question they had been rightly instructed But whereas they now rejecting the wholsome doctrine of such Teachers had fall'n from their obedience to the Magistrate had with violent hands seiz'd upon the goods and possessions of their neighbours had taken to themselves variety and choise of wives had elected and set up a new King among them had denyed that Christ had taken on him humane nature from the Virgin Mary had maintained and asserted the freedome of mans will had forcibly constrained the people to a communication of their goods in publique had denyed pardon and absolution to laps'd sinners that in all these they had foulely violated the Lawes as well humane as divine They having received this Answer from the Landgrave made their reply and withall set him a booke composed and written in the high Dutch concerning the Misteries of Scripture And in their Letter they set a faire and specious glosse upon their own cause together with a defence and justification of their opinions But in their booke we spoke of they made a division of the course and succession of all times of the whole world into three parts or ages That the first world from Adam to Noah perished indeed by the deluge of waters That the second which is that wherein we now live shall be destroyed by fire But their third and new world which they maintaine shall be hereafter is that wherein righteousnesse and justice shall beare the sway but before this last shall begin to dawne and shed its light in the eyes of men it must necessarily be that this old one that now is be first purged by fire which shall not be neither before Antichrist is revealed and his power utterly supprest and trodden downe under foot That then it shall come to passe that the throne of David which was cast down shall be reared up again and established and Christ shall again receive his kingdome here upon earth and so shall all the sayings of the Prophets be accomplished That this present world is like the age wherein Esau had the power and sway in his hands for that now righteousnesse and equity are put to silence and the godly ones only afflicted But as from the Babylonish captivity so from the great miseries and calamities of this present age there shall at length appear a day of ransome and restitution a day of freedome and liberty for the righteous wherein the wicked shall abundantly receive the reward of all they have done maliciously against the Saints of God as is foretold and threatned in the Revelation Now this Restitution is to happen immediately before this blessed age of the world which is yet to come so that all the ungodly and wicked ones being suppressed all the world over the seate and dwelling place of justice shall be adorned and beautified The Landgrave having perused this book of thei●s imployes some of his owne Ministers to write and publish an Answer against it There was a meeting of some Cities of the Empire at Esling who among themselves made a Decree and agreement that those who formerly met at Coblentz had no power or right to impose any burthens upon them for that the consent and authority of the Emperour and all the States of the Empire were to be required therein Whereupon they wholly reject that Order promising mutuall aid and assistance among themselves in case my one of them should be called in question or indangered hereby Withall they make Remonstrance that whatsoever should be ordered and decreed by the publike convention of the Princes and States of the Empire in a lawfull manner in behalf of the Common-wealth that therein they would most readily expresse their duty Now in February there happening a great penury and scarcity of Come insomuch as many perished by reason of h●nger and want one of the Queens pittying the sad condition of t●e pe●p●e in her discourse to her companions expressed her minde so far that she could not once think it that it was the good will and pleasure of God that poor people should daily be destroyed in this manner for lack of food The King who had his Store-houses sufficiently replenished not only for necessity and use but even for Riot having notice given him hereof brings her forth into the Market place together with his other Queens and commanding her to kneele down strait way he strikes off her head disgracing her dead body as if she had been some common strumpet The rest of them applaud the action giving thanks to their heavenly Father upon which the King fell a dauncing encouraging the people also who had nothing left them but bread and salt to daunce likewise and to be merry Easter being now come and no signe of deliverance yet appearing the King who had made them many glorious promises to devise some thing whereby to excuse himselfe to the people for sixe daies together counterfeits himself sick After this he comes abroad into the Market place and there he tells them how he had bin riding upon a blinde Asse and that the Father had laid upon him the heavie burthen of all their sins that now therefore they were become cleane washed and purified from all their offences And that this was that deliverance which he had promised them and that here with they ought all to remaine contented Among other things which about this time Luther published in the High Dutch Alas saith he what or how shall I complain and bewaile the sad condition of these wretched and forlorn men Most certaine it is that evill spirits in abundance have taken up here their habitation and refidence Howsoever we ought deservedly to praise the infinite Mercy and goodnesse of God herein For although by reason of the contempt of the Gospel and the reproach of Gods Name and the effusion of godly mens blood Germany hath deserved to suffer the fierce wrath and displeasure of God yet for all that he did restraine the rage and furious attempts of Satan and suffered him not to goe on with full swing and carreere but in mercy gave us gentle warning and admonition And especially by this Tragedy or play of Munster which had but little skill or cunning in it he fairly invited and call'd us to the amendment of our lives For without all doubt except God had held him in with a strong bridle he being so subtill a spirit and so much his crafts-master had certainly acted his part in a farre more dangerous manner But now seeing the goodnesse of God had curbed him