vnto mans capacitie 2 An admonition to the Readers of the Scripture Lineament VIII 1 The Election of the Protestants after the imitation of S. Pauls graffing in of the Gentiles 2 Meanes to discerne the Antichrist by Prophesies out of the Scripture 3 Mâ—anes to discerne the Antichrist by his pompous manner of liuing and also by his Detractions The third Circle Lineament I. 1 THe nature of the spirit of Detraction 2 His obiections 3 The Authours answere 4 The description of Detraction 5 His Companions 6 His Paradoxes 7 A briefe Confutation Lineament II. 1 Notes to discerne the spirit of Detraction 2 A limitation of speaches Lineament III. 1 That the imbecillity of our natural dispositions tainted through the first Mans sinne with curiosity inconstancie and negligence is the prime cause of the spirit of Detraction 2 That our curious search after the supernaturall beginning of time worketh our confusion 3 Of our Curiosity 4 Of our Inconstancie 5 And of cur Negligence Lineament IIII. 1 That ill Education is another cause of malicious Detraction 2 That want of maintenance in the Clergy is the cause of ill Education 3 Certaine moderne abuses taxed in some remote angles of this Kingdome Lineament V. 1 That the secret and spirituall suggestion of the Diuel is the third cause of the Spirit of Detraction 2 The cunning reasons of the Diuell to confirme sinne 3 Their Confutation Lineament VI. 1 The naturall manner how the Spirit of Detraction enters into a man and possesseth him 2 Another reason to confirme the premisses Lineament VII 1 Corollaries for the explanation of the premisses 2 Where wicked Spirits reside in man Lineament VIII 1 That the spirit of Detraction hath two principall instruments the Hand and the Tongue 2 Their apish trickes 3 Their monstrous effects 4 A briefe dehortation from Detraction Lineament IX 1 The Authors censure of certaine English Pamphleters and Ballad-writers with an inuocation to my Lord of Canterbury for a reformation not onely of these abuses in writing but also of other enormities committed against the Church-Canons 2 A Description of good and euill Writers 3 That there is a mixt morall kinde of writing seruing as the lesser light for the conuersion of the naturall man Lineament X. 1 Certaine Detractions of our common Stage-players are taxed 2 How God distributes his gifts diuersly to euery particular man 3 The Authours briefe Apologie concerning his owne imprinted workes Lineament XI 1 What kinde of persons the spirit of Detraction doth soonest possesse with a description of the common people 2 That wise men and of resolution must not feare the Detractions of the common people 3 That it is necessarie for Enuie to be the companion of Vertue and for the spirit of Detraction to follow Magistrates as the shadow the body for the corroborating of their vertues Lineament XII 1 Why men soiourne with the spirit of Detraction and will not be dislodged from him 2 That no worldly causes ought to dispose a man vnto Detraction Lineament XIII 1 The Conclusion shewing that all persons from the Prince his Scepter to the Coblers naule are subiect to Detracting tongues The fourth Circle Lineament I. 1 THe felicitie and infelicitie of our Country of Great Britaine 2 The Authours supplication to the high and mightie Court of Parliament for suppressing of common Swearing Blasphemies Slaunders Perâ—urtes and other Detractions offensiue to God and their Countries weale 3 That they crucisie Christ anew which sweare eyther want only or wilfully by his bloud c. 4 The Authours motion for more Additions to the Statute of Periurie 5 The necessitie of these Additions and of likely circumstances to lead our common Iurours Lineament II. 1 That Licentiousnesse is the cause of Detractions defamations periuries and blasphemies 2 That Tauernes are the causes of licentiousnesse whereby the Authour taketh an occasion to admonish Magistrates of their dutie in this important case Lineament III. That the Spirit of Detraction is sooner conuicted through the bright light and testimonie of the Scripture then through mens reall force or worldly deuices Lineament IIII. The Spirit of Detraction coniured and conuicted by the Prophet Dauids testimonie Lineament V. The spirit of Detraction coniured and conuicted by King Salomons testimonie Lineament VI. The spirit of Detraction coniured and conuicted by Iesus the sonne of Syraches testimonie Lineament VII The spirit of Detraction and Periurie coniured and conuicted by other testimonies of the Scripture Lineament VIII The Authours aduise to lury-men wishing them to proceede vprightly according to their oathes and also to meditate on the future discourse Lineament IX The Spirit of Detraction coniured and conuicted by the Ciuill lawes Constitutions Lineament X. The Spirit of blasphemous Detraction conuicted by Gods iudgements executed on some of our owne Countries inhabitants Lineament XI The Spirit of Detraction and Perturie conuicted by sentence of our owne lawes executed on corrupted lurours Lineament XII The Spirit of Detraction conuicted by the statute De scandalis magnatum and also by the Soueraigne authority of the Court of Starre-Chamber Lineament XIII 1 Of the Iurisdiction of the Ecclesiasticall Court touching words of Detraction and defamation 2 Where the Kings writ of Prohibition lies against such actions commenced in that Court 3 That mixt actions belong to the Common law Lineament XIIII Obseruations concerning words of Detraction and Defamation fit to be perused of Sheriffes and Stewards or of other Iudges of inferiour Courts extracted out of the Reports of Sir Edward Cooke Knight Lord chiefe Iustice of the common Pleas. Lineament XV. Obseruations concerning detracting Libels giuen in the Starre-Chamber and collected out of Sir Edward Cookes Reports Lineament XVI The conclusion of the fourth Circle contayning the Authours pareneticall Charge to common Iuries The fift Circle Lineament I. 1 THe Authours scope in this Circle 2 His inuocation to the Godhead against his Ghostly Enemies Lineament II. 1 How the Spirit of Detraction attributes the glorious workes of God vnto the Diuell 2 That mens guiltie consciences driue them to exâ—oâ—â— the Diuell and his supposed power Lineament III. Proued out of the Booke of Wisedome that mens guiltie consciences caused them at first to feare Bugs and Spirits Lineament IIII. How mens guilty conscâ—ences made them to mistake the truth and to become afraid of things meerely naturall Lineament V. A merry storie borrowed out of Peter de Loiers booke of Specters shewing how a Trauailer was frighted in passing by a Gallowes Lineament VI. 1 Whether in time of Poperie the Diuell appeared to Coniurers or Witches 2 Why now adaies the Diuels apparitions are ceased among the professours of the Gospell 3 The Authors opinion touching his visible illusions Lineament VII 1 How Popish Shauelings inuenâ—ed the vse of common Coniurations and fictions in policy for the greater efficacie of their Idols Holy-water and Masse-monging wherein the weakenesse of their Holy-water is shewed 2 That they coined lies of purpose to confirme their sect namely in Luthers life
be thou mayest be the motiue of his repentance and reformation These spitefull spurious seedes of the Spirit of Detraction a deuout Schoole â—aâ— points out in this maâ—er Si paupâ—res vilem abâ—ectum â—e reputat si Dâ—ues ambit â—osâ—m auarum cupidum si Affabilts dissolutum si Praedicator vel Docter â—â—moris vel humani fauoris quaesuorem si 〈…〉 inuâ—â—lâ—m sâ—â—cum us hypocritam si comedens vrcâ—rem Thaâ— is if thou be poore he reputes thee vile and obiect if rich ambâ—tions a â—â—ggard or couetous if affaâ—â—e 〈…〉 if thou be a Preacher or a Doctor then he accouâ—tâ— thee a hunter after honour or popularity if silent vnprofitable if fasting an hypocrite if eating a glâ—tton With these or such like mantles of subtleties the Diuell vseth to shrouâ— his inueterate malice towards mankind so that we presuming on selfe-wit and selfe-will care not what wickednesse we contriue nor what vanity we vtter with our lips Nor doe we thinke that our most patient Lord beholdeth vs heareth vs yea and knoweth the very cogitations of our hearts before we haue time to speake them But because when we knew God we glorifie him not as God neither are thankefull therefore God giues vs vp to reprobate minde That is he giues vs ouer to our owne lustes to siâ—ne tradimur Sathanae we are deliuered ouer to be tempted and seduced by Sathan we are excommunicated with Caine from Gods lightsome presence barred out of the doores of heauen and banished from blâ—sle And if it were lawfull for me to diue in the Lords secrets I would say that the Arch-diuell that old Serpent is let loose out of hell for a time to confirme vs in our reprobate natures LINEAMENT VI. 1 The naturall manner how the Spirit of Detraction enters into a man and possesseth him 2 Another reason to confirme the premisses HOw so vile a spirit as this of Detraction can possesse a man pertaker of diuine reason I cannot keepe close from my friends the naturall meanes First Will being Lady ouer the soule ouer reason ouer sense and imagination loth to minister causes of discontentment to any of her subiects lest her Dominion through ciuill discord might become enfeebled resolues to please all handes sometimes bearing with one sometimes with another at last she is glad her selfe to yeeld her suffrage vnto the strongest party in such wise that the spirit of Detraction gets footing with other spirits of errour Wherein she resembles the Machiauellian Princes of this world who complot by their peoples factions for their priuate gaine one while with the Gnelfes another while with the Gibellines one while with the white Rose another while with the red Rose one while with the Vrsini another while with the house of Columna vntill at length themselues by the iust iudgement of God feele equall smart their owne estates turned topsie-turuy and vntill the triple crowned Monarch be chased like the Foxe out of his hole from Rome to Auinion To adde another naturall reason for the enabling of the premisses the spirit of Detraction at the first by bribing of memory sense hath accesse to the braine which is the lodge of the Imaginatiue Lady and by his double diligence insinuates himselfe into her amity She a Princesse of estimation and fauor with the Heart commends this spirit of Detraction to her protection as a minion or play-fellow to deceiue the time or rather her selfe and to discouer vnto her the diuersities of Spirits which might harme her eyther in detracting her credite or in disposing her subiects to insurrection Here the spirituall Hermaphrodite is let in at first by secret conuayances as a thiefe for as yet he dares not openly enter into the hearts palace for feare of the enuious Nobles But in processe of time hauing throughly like Absolon or Seianus stolne away the good consent of the Heart and now strongly befriended by her extraordinary fauours in this microcosme of man he enduceth other humorous spirits to regard him and in fine enticeth vnto him in the hearts metropoly the greatest number of the purer vitall spirits where he besotteth them and bewitcheth them with melancholy rage choler malice and other disordinate passions insomuch that the Soule the hearts tutrix is likewise enforced nolens volens will she nill she to obey this vnworthy Spirit LINEAMENT VII 1 Corollaries for the explanation of the premisses 2 Where wicked Spirits reside in man WIcked Spirits inhabite both in the soule and body some as the spirit of malicious Detraction the spirit of hatred the spirit of enuie lodge in the highest and chiefest part of the soule called the reasonable will which is seated betweene reason and sensuality and apt to be applied to eyther and these are spirituall materiall not knit to any corporall Organ or instrument Other some there be that dwell in the inseriour part of the soule now Will being altogether become sensuall as the spirit of gâ—uttony the spirit of lechery and these are materiall bodily and apprendants to some corporall subiect as rightly belonging to the sensitiue appetite The former spirits are apprehended in the soule before they descend to the bodies appetite The latter two are conceiued with sensuall appetite before it be throughly scanned in the reasonable will or soule whether the acte committed be good or euill This the auncient Philosophers harpâ—d vpon when they acknowledged in euery man three seuerall parts proceeding from spirituall and corporall fountaines namely the Intellectuall which issueth from the soule in the braine the Irascible which issueth from the heart and the Concupiscible or longing part which flowes from the liuer Of these the Intellectuall while it remaines incorrupted may be termed celestiall being the little and liuely looking-glasle of Gods own attributes The other two being brutail may rightly be ascribed to the sensitiue constitution specially when eyther through custome complexion or through some accidentall course they become materiall members for the knowledge of Euill In like manner both these spirits Irascible and Concupiscible linckt in affinity with flesh and blood may also proportionably challenge one vniuersall lodge in the body as wel as the soule apart vnto themselues I meane when they vsurpe a predominance ouer the rest of the passions and this is the heart for who calumniates his neighbours good name and same and hath not the heart burning Who is possessed with the spirit of lust and seeles not his heart consenting Who hates his neighbour and perceiues not his heart panting for reuenge In the heart is the most concourse of humours and there abounds much fiery heat seeing that it digesteth the blood which is sent from the liuer for euen as the eyes of maydes looke vp to the hands of their Mistresse and as the lesser wheeles in the watch waite vpon the greatest wheele so all the members of the body depend vpon the heart their punctuall wheele and mistresse LINEAMENT VIII 1 That the spirit of Detraction
hath two principall instruments the Hand and the tongue 2 Their apish trickes 3 Their monstrous effects 4 A briefe dehortation from Detraction EVen as wise Philosophers by signes and effects doe finde out naturall causes by properties they found out essences and by leading sparres doe ayme at leaden mines so must we by some externall operations apprehend the instrumentall meanes by which the froathy spirit of Detraction manageth whole rablements of wrangling and â—angling actions And these are two the Hand the Tongue with the hand Sathan procures a man to wriâ—e infamous libels inuectiues Satyres and disgracefull letters and times not inferiour to the Popes thundring Bulles against his powerful Makers name or at least wise against his honest neighbours fame yea though he be an hundred miles distant from him with such violent and insupportable fury that one knowes not which is more dreadfull the pike oâ— the pen. Such a one might well be called a Calamoboas that is the lusty or lofty Crier with the pen as Antipater in Plutarch termed Carneades the libeller Some other times a dumbe spirit possesseth our outlawed out-casts so that with dumbe shewes winking eyes wry mouthes bended browes pointed fingers touch of feeâ—e and other apish trickes they tempt the patience of the godliest man Which beast-like vsage a moderne Poet thus painteth out Me digitis monstant subsannant dentibus omnes Hic aures Asini fingit ille canem With fingers point with grinning teeth they flout me One Asses eares he dogs tongue makes about me The other and common instrument of The spirit of Detraction is the Tongue which being ill ordered and Tutourlesse may bee termed a leprous sinne a contagious sinne spreading farre and neere the hyperbolical deuises of the Diuell by the mouth of the detracting spirit towards the credulous eares of mortall men Wherein it is a thing remarkeable and worthy of graphicall obseruation to see how this small member can worke such turbulent tumults throughout all the circuit of mans little world The repercussion of it stirres the gall enflameth the blood netries the heart and musters together all the mutinous powers of the body in reuenge of the other opposite spirit But when all comes to all Truth is great and must preuaile In cold bloud men of vnderstanding will grow to this conclusion that the tongue endamageth three soules the absent whom it backe-biteth the present person which is attentiue and the Detractor himselfe which bloweth the dust and it reuerteth backe vnto his owne eyes Euill words corrupt good manners and also bewray the motions of the heart for euen as the tree of the fielde is knowne by his fruit so is the thought of mans heart knowne by his words Where is Charity Where is Taciturnity While the tongue becomes the Diuels Trumpeter to sound out his malicious words of defiance O imprudent age O carelesse folke which suffer themselues to be allured by hellish Nighting-galles Fistula dulce canit volucrem dum decipit auceps The Fowler lures melodiously While he takes birds deceitfully In regard of which circumstances Let thy words be few for as a dreame comes by the multitude of businesse so the voyce of a foole is in the multitude of wordes And lâ—t those golden sayings of the Apostle be firmely imprinted within the closet of thine heart Gâ—â—ue not quoth he the holy spirit of God by whom thou art sealed vnto the day of redemption Let all but ernesse anger and euill speaking be put away with all maliciousnesse LINEAMENT IX 1 The Authors censure of certaine English Pamphleters and Ballad writers with an inuocation to my L. of Canterbury for a reformation not onely of these abuses in writing but also of other enormuus committed against the Church-Canâ—ts 2 A Description of good and euill writers 3 That there is a mixt morall kind of writing seruing as the lesser â—ight for the conuersion of the naturall man HErein I cannot chuse but somwhat touch the apish spleene of certain English Pamphleters who to gaine themselues windy applauses and popular praises among Sathans posterity like vnto Erostratus who fired Dianaes famous Temple at Ephe sus to the intent he might be spoken of in after ages do publish daily the puffed leauen of their phantasies which the Poet otherwise calles Ingenij caprisicum The wilde Fig-tree of their greene wittes or as we vulgarly say their wilde seed Oates These bastard Bookes begotten in an euill houre vpon the effeminate aspect of Venus and Mars I could wish to be suddenly suppressed as Monsters opposite to the sacred spirit of Regeneration And for this purpose I humbly inuocate on you my iudicious Lord Great Britaines Metropolitane intreating your further vigilancy in rooting out those vaine Vines which according to the nature of ill weedes will in time ouer-grow your pruned plants But who am I that dare admonish the Ambrose of our age who with your heauenly food of Ambrosia Manna and Nectar doe nourish the soules of our Christian Church prouiding milke for their young ones medicine for their sicke and meate for their strong Right reuerend Lord I know it is presumption in me to discourse with so great and graue a Personage Yet notwithstanding because our English Adage taught me this vncontrouled rule spare to speake and spare to speede I will not spare to enforme your Grace what wicked weedes doe ouer-top the graine of my natiue soile Beside those rotten rootes of writing the neglect of your Constitutions and experimented Orders whereby our Commissaries must not call to question the sincerer sort of people vpon bare and naked fame for euery slight and slanderous imputation whereby they are forbidden to prouounce definitiue sentence without the aduice of discreet Aduocates whereby our Proctors are charged not to frame their libelles without the opinions and hands of Aduocates and whereby their wrangling noyse in Court is stinted I say the contempts of these and other your Canonicall commaundements by your meaner Officials which now in your first Visitation may more acutely be espied are the principall causes that they of the layer and lower sort become more carelesse in their carriage more addicted vnto Detraction For surely there is nothing in this spacious Round or Vniuerse of nature which more resisteth the execution of lawes then the ordinary heape of friuolous and froward suites then the disobedience and breach of ciuill customes in men of higher note These and many other enormious crimes enuring the popular ranke to peremptory and pecuish thoughts deedes and speeches your prouidence may expell for a time if not quite extinguish and extirpe Your fame eternized through your euer-shining bookes through your neuer-spotted actions may worke some miracles in the conuersion of our Detractors Yea your noble Name illustrious ABBOT a Name I confesse somewhat ominous among the aduerse side the admirers of auncient Abbeyes I say your very Name etymologized from that Abba of Adoption the sounding voyce
vpon him and he shall curse thee to thy face Whereto though God answered Lo he is in thine hand yet we must not take that saying literally but parable-wise or according to the Hebrew maner of speech He is in thine hand that is he is in the case as thou wouldest haue him my hand shall plague him according to thy demaund Likewise we must vnderstand that the holy Ghost here as in other places of the Scripture inserteth such familiar conserence as is fitting for mans capacity and for the vsage of that language When his Maiestie is disposed really to plague offendors coÌ„monly he employeth his owne Angels which S. Iohn in the Reuelation plainly manifesteth in these words I saw another signe in heauen great and maruellous seuen Angels hauing the last seuen plagues for by them is fulfilled the wrath of God And againe I heard a great voyce going out of the Temple saying to the seuen Angels Go your waies powre out the seuen golden vials of the wrath of God vpon the earth His owne Angell God sent to destroy Sodome and Gomorra to plague the Israclites when Dauid caused the people to be numbred and to ouerthrow Senacheribs army His owne Angell he sent to smite ambitious Herode so that he was eaten vp of wormes To conclude this is a golden rule and worthy to be engrauen in Cedar that Good men neuer detract from the Lord or from their neighbours To the Lord they ascribe al glory all causes all effects To Caesar they ascribe what is Caesars and honour to whom honour belongeth Notwithstanding any naturall notions or idle imaginations imprinted in their braines by the Spirit of Detraction good men will quickly breake through such brittle cobwebs and will pierce quite through such imaginations with their intellectuall iudgements as the beames of the Sunne pierce and passe through the thickest clouds inwardly building on this fort of faith that the Diuels force himselfe being spirituall and oftentimes a prisoner is not really reuelling but spiritually roguing or restrained euen according to the pleasure of the Great Iehouah in whose power alone it consisteth to bruise his head and to bring vs safely out of his tempting snares LINEAMENT XVI The Spirit of Detraction punished by the immediate power of God proued by examples out of the Scripture EVen as the Spirit of Detraction with all other sinful spirits as the spirit of pride the spirit of gluttony the spirit of hatred and such others by the contagious craft of the diuellish serpent like an infectious leprosie possessed all soules since the first transgression of our foreparents our Sauiour only excepted for in Adam we all liued so likewise did this serpent first detract and depraue the Lords glory in heauen when he arrogated to himselfe his immensiue power And afterwards when he seduced Eue to disobey her Creator touching the forbidden fruit saying vnto her ye shall not die the death And also when he made her beleeue that she should be as wise as God At the building of Babell they desperately detracted in distrusting Gods prouidence in fearing another Deluge and in saying Let vs build vs a tower whose top may reach vnto heauen least peâ—aduenture we be scatterd abroad vpon the face of the earht Corah Dathan and Abiram were swallowed vp of the earth because they murmured against God and spake against his seruant Moses Miriam the sister of Moses was stricken by the Lord with leprosie because she spake against her brother and against his authority which he had from God The men which Moses sent to search the land of Canaan and which when they came againe made all the people to murmur against him and brought vp a slander vpon the land euen those men that did bring that slaunder vpon it as though it had bene euill died in a great plague before the Lord None of the Israelites which came out of Aegypt except Caleb liued to enioy the land of promise because they murmured against their Redeemer who brought them out of seruitude and tempted his patient spirit therefore they perished in the wildernesse Saul despayring of Gods mercy and for that the Lord vouchsafed not to answere him by dreams nor vrim nor yet by Prophets sought to the cousening witch of Endor who against her will like to Baalam and Caiphas prophesied the truth by a supposed Samuel that the spirit of God had quite abandoned him that the next day after he should be slaine by the Philistines The Israelites discomfited the Sâ—rians and killed one hundred thousand of them in one day according to the speech of the Prophet that was sent to the King of Israel with this message Thus saith the Lord because the Sirians haue said The Lord is God of the mountains and not God of the valleyes therefore will I deliuer this great multitude into thy hands and you shall know that I am the Lord. Ahaziah King of Iuda being sicke sent messengers to Baalzebub the God of Ekron concerning his discase and his recouery But Elias out of the Angels mouth resolued him saying Is it because there is no God in Israel that you goe to enquire of Baalzebub the God of Ekron Wherefore thus saith the Lord Thou shalt not come downe from the bed on which thou art gone vp but thou shalt die the death Amaziah Priest of Bethel bad the Prophet Amos prophesie no more at Bethel because it was the kings Chappel and the kings Court Wherefore and for that he controlled the Lords messenger thus said the Lord Thy wife shall be an harlot in the Citie and thy sonnes and daughters shall fall by the sword and thy land shall be diuided by line and thou shalt die in a polluted land Beares came out of the forrest and tare in peeces two and fortie children which mocked Elisha the Prophet and reuiled him with his bald head Senacherib king of Assyria warring with Hezekias king of Iuda sent a blasphemous embassage vnto him signifying that the Lord could no more saue Ierusalem from his victorious hand then the counterfeit Gods or Idols of other nations which he destroyed But the word of the Lord came to Esay the Prophet against Senacherib in this manner Whom hast thou railed on and blasphemed against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted vp thine eyes on high Euen against the Holy one of Israel Because thou ragest against me and thy tumult is come vp into mine eares therefore will I put my hooke into thy nosthrils and my bridle in thy lips and will bring thee backe againe the same way thou camest So the Angell of the Lord went out and smote in the campe one hundred threescore and fiue thousand men in one night And Senacherib himselfe at his returne home was slaine by two of his sonnes One Hananiab in the time of Zedekiah king of Iuda prophesied falsely among the Iewes at Ierusalem eyther of vaine glory for
from the Creature That the harpe soundeth the harper is the cause that it soundeth â—ll the harpe it selfe is the cause In all naturall bodies their owne brittlenesse is the cause of their corruptions Not the agents but the patients worke their ill sauouring That we talke that we walke God is the cause that we talke amisse walke awrie our owne wantonnesse with our weaknesse is the cause Our tongues were made to glorifie our Creator our hearts to meditate before we talke that both consenting and concurring together in a ioyfull embassage towards God the soule may deserue a ioyfull welcome in heauen In regard of which circumstances O mortall men Let your dead bodies be embaulmed your meates perboyled or poudered Let your tongues hearts and steps be directed by the bridle lampe and line of Gods holy word For with the heart man beleeueth vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth confession is made vnto saluation according to that diuine Disticke Non vox sed votum non Musica chordula sed cor Non clamor sed amor cantat in aure Dei Not flattring words but feruent vowes of mind Not Musickes sound but soules by faith refin'd Not outward cries but inward flaming zeale Within Gods eares ring out a pleasing peale LINEAMENT VI. 1 How God predestinated some to be saued 2 Why all men were not elected 3 That mens owne willes by Gods sufferance occasion their reprobation and harme 4 The Authors sentence concerning himselfe whether he be one of the elect 5 That Good and Euill cannot come without Gods consent OVR heauenly Father whose prouidence or foresight is no other then his present sight before the beginning of the world seeing men at that time though vncreated and vnborne all present in his sight as if they were alreadie created and borne readie to receiue doome or iudgement and seeing them at that instant to refuse his grace as liuely as if they had already refused the same obseruing withall the corruption of their nature continued by custome to produce corrupt fruits and effects accordingly elected the purer moulded spirits apart from the rest enabled them with his grace as with a speciall gift or pardon for indeed the very purest had deserued death and damnation and freely of meere fauour gaue them their liues at the mediation of their Redeemer and also their liberty which their first parents haue since wittingly forfeited The rest as reprobates refusing his charter of grace and alreadie in his foresight which is eternall and alwaies present condemned and standing before him in the state of damnation he suffered still to perseuer and to be as he found and saw them Crie for mercy they could not because his instice required equality or satisfaction Beg for liberty they could not by reason that their sinnes had entangled and tongue-tied them And so for want of speaking and suing with remorce of conscience which we call repentance vnto the Sauiour of the world by whom I vnderstand Gods mercy which â—ince was made flesh shined before his Iustice they sustained the punishment that was due vnto them Wherein they were not to blame God but rather themselues that foolishly delayed their suites I heard that of late daies a prisoner well lettered after condemnation hauing gotten the benefit of his Clergy according to the lawes of this land and referred to his triall whether he could reade or no was sodainly so bed azeled and bereaued of his eye sight that for want of reading he lost his life Now who can blame the Iudge in this case Surely no man For he was iustly hanged through his owne default The Iudge did what he could iustifie yea and perhaps was forced to shead teares when he pronounced the iudgement Much more fault are we to finde with those sinners which can reade and beg for remission and yet of set contuâ—acie like a curst child wholly addicted to frowardnesse will not be perswaded once to say Abba Father To returne vnto my former matter of Election God findes men euill and leaues them so for he is not tied to giue them grace except it please himselfe To confirme this I regard many creatures and doe finde them all diuersly disposed some to good some to euill some to riches some to pouerty I finde this diuersitie in our very grounds Heere is good arable land good pasture there growes neither corne nor pasture but briers brambles tares cockle furres heath or stones Non omnis fert omnia tellus Hic segetes illic crescunt foelicuis vuae All grounds beare not alike all kind of things Here growes grain there the grape more fruitful springs But why all grounds yeeld not the same commodities we must leaue that secrecy to Gods vnsearchable will I like manner I see our earthly kings bestowing titles of honour vpon diuers persons and vpon diuers occasions Some they dubbe knights before the battel and some after the battell Some others they grace of their owne sesecrete iudgement or for some cause vnknowne vnto vs. After the like manner to compare great things with small O eternall Father thou disposest of thy sinfull creatures Some thou callest some thou electest some thou reiectest Of those which thou callest some thou reseruest for one purpose some for another and all for thy glory Neither ought we to maruell or murmure at this that we be not all called chosen considering what was our beginning our fragility our stubborne natures and that we deserued no fauour at all Seeing our first Parents both man and woman tasted the fruite of good and euill it is but discreet seuerity or rather diuine mercy that thy soueraigne Maiestie electeth some as good persons of their seede to honour thee and leauest the rest as euill to their owne appetites in satisfaction of thy iustice To the one thou giuest heauen for the honour of thy mercie to the other hell for the honour of thy iustice And yet dare not I alwaies iustifie the elect in exempting them quite from the thraldome of sinne seeing that they are but brittle flesh and bloud who might commit follies in their youth being subiect to the knowledge of euill and neuerthelesse become reformed in the middest of their age as capable by the diuine bounty of the knowledge of goodnesse Now it remaineth that I touch a little as I saile by the shoare of curiositie wherefore God suffereth the workmanship of his hands to be damned For the solution of this triuiall and idle question it is written that the Potter may ordaine his owne vessels to what vse himselfe pleaseth For no doubt but God is glorified in the damnation of the reprobate as in the Reuelation he is honoured for iudging the whore of Babylon albeit that he be no cause of their wickednesse Commonly he suffereth euill to chance by that meanes as he bringeth goodnesse to passe extolling his owne glory out of their errours and in effect his sufferance of euill is nothing else but his destination
vnderstanding being but a sparkle in respect of a world of fire failes me and as a candle at the flash of a strong lightning suddenly extinguisheth for in thine interminate vnderstanding there resides infinite wisdome omnipotency prouidence predestination true reason true knowledge and the representation of all thy workemanship If I enter into the speculation of thy gracious and inexhausted will I shall want words significant to expresse the singular proprieties which depend theron as comfortable grapes on one goodly clâ—ster or bunch Thy Charity thy Iustice Mercie Clemency Loue Patience Magnificence with other attributes which we doe not deserue to know attend on thy powerfull will O mighty Deity of vnsearchable worth as thy Prophet Dauid said Such knowledge is too wonderfull and excellent for me I cannot attaine vnto it Whither then shall I goe from thy Spirit or whither shall I goe from thy presence If I climbe vp to heauen thou art there If I goe downe into hell thou art there also Thou beholdest all our doings with exceeding patience Thou art wholly in the world as mans soule is wholly in the braine and body and dispersed through euery part of the same and seest as in a manifest map all the world ouer Thou art present with vs in our closest counsels in our closest closets Thou art deck't with light as it were with a garment Thou art most glorious in heauen as mans soule in the head is most conspicuous and therehence like the Sunne with his influence illuminatest all places and searchest the very secrets of our hearts and reines for the light dwelleth with thee Thou art a most pure perfect and actiue forme without any mixture or composition of matter or forme or distinction of parts Thou art the beginning and the end of all things the beginning without beginning and the end without end To end before I haue scant begun thou art al sight all hearing all vnderstanding all reason the origen of all goodnes Totus oculus totus auditus totus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 totus ratio fons omnium bonorum Thou art aboue all things and yet not elated Thou art in all things and yet not concluded Thou art vnder all things yet not restrained Thou art great without quantity good without quality iust without wrath All our ioyes al our pleasures al our profits all our welfare arise from thy fruitfull bounty as on the contrary all our losses all our crosses all our misfortunes proceed by our deserts from thy iust conceiued fury When thou sendest out thy Spirit we are recreated When thou hidest thy face we are troubled Whither then shall we miserable caytiues flie whither From our displeased God to our pleased God from our angry Father to our patient Father Where shall we finde goodnes but with the Author of goodnes Omne bonum à Deo profluit in eundemque tanquam in causam principem finem vltimum reflectitur Euery good springs from God againe the same returnes to him as to the soueraigne cause and last end He euen he it is that subsisteth aboue vs through his prouidence round about vs he substitutes his Angels as it were in fiery Chariots in vs he breathes his fiery Comforter He maketh his An gels spirits adhis Ministers a flaming fire LINEAMENT III. 1 The admirable incorporation of the three persons in Trinity 2 Their mystical operatioÌ„ vnfolded according to our resonable capacities 3 How God is said to be in heauen 4 After what manner the Trinity doe differ one from another eyther in Appellation or in Operation 5 That the Pagan Poets like Apes aymed at Gods mysteries by their darke Allegories IF Imeditate on the admirable Hypostasis of the Deity I am rauished with an extasie to behold their heauenly Harmony their consort their consonance and their proportion Goe said our Sauiour Christ to his disciples and teach all Nation s' baptizing them in the name of the Father of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost The Father vncreated the glorious Word begotten of his euer-being substance the holy Spirit of comfortable loue out of them both producted All three like wieke waxe and light incorporated in one glorious Torch as the beames and influence of one Sun or as waters of one fountaine or as Peter Paul and Barnabas all three building vpon one Rocke and preaching the same doctrine or as will vnderstanding and memorie the reflecting Image of the Deity in one soule equally partakers of one vndiuided Godhead one light one power one beginning one maiesty one glory and one authority Thus hath this One Diuine Spirit three peerelesse properties the hauing of euery which property is called a Person a terme which we giue to shew the peculiar being of a reasonable spirit which word Person also the Gramarians haue distinguished according to mens common conference into notorious appellations As when God speakes of himselfe to signifie his inexplicable essence he speakes in the first person singular Iehouah I am that I am I the Lord thy God When after deliberation he vtters out his determination then the whole Godhead with a cleere distinction of the personall functions speaks according to mans capacity in the plurall number Let vs make man that thereby we might note his deliberation before his determination then both of them made manifest by his omnipotent Word And forasmuch as a peron is nothing els but a body or a spirit seuerally singled out by himselfe forasmuch as euery thing in the Godhead consisteth substantially by it selfe without the helpe of any other therefore are his seuerall properties or functions to demonstrate the particular or personall orders and operations of Gods will and being In like sort there be two kindes of persons the person of his Spirits Essence and the person of his Spirits properties The person or being of his Essence is but one the persons or subsistences of the properties be three distinct euery one a Spirit by himselfe euery one a liuing God by himselfe and yet all one Spirit one liuing God The Father or the first speaker is God by himselfe and of himselfe and therefore the first being or person The Sonne or word is God by himselfe and not of himselfe but of the Father or speaker onely and therefore the second being The holy Ghost or holy loue is God by himselfe and not of himselfe but ioyntly of the Father and the Sonne and therefore the third being There is no difference at all betweene the Speaker the Word and this Loue but onely in the reciprocall relation of one to another for in respect of their being beginning which was coeternall before al worlds before all times or termes of times they are one essential one equall and one transcendent Person But in respect of order in their heawenly Hierarchies of their offices operations and effects ordayned among themselues by their owne diuine decrees and also in respect of the
against the Authour of nature These sinfull spirits like baites of sweet poison or sugred gals possesse olde Adams progeny according to the variable and voluble dispositions of the patient These not vnlike to Mice Lice lawlesse Lawiers or noysome vermine by Sathans spirituall suggestion doe endeuour to infest molest and sift vs as wheate They had their beginning at the fall of the Diuell and his Angels who are throughly possessed with all the said qualities working diuersly by the meanes of the same spirit The spirit of Detraction the spirit of Enuy the spirit of Pride and such like vitious spirits proceed from one roote from one Serpent that olde Impostor I am setled in this opinion by the Apostle who proued the identity of the Holy Spirit by the like reason The body is one and hath many members And againe There are diuersities of gifts but the same spirit To one is giuen by the spirit the word of wisedome to another the word of knowledge by the same spirit To another the operations of great workes to another prophesie to another the discerning of spirits to another the diuersities of tongues All these things worketh the same spirit distributing to euery man as it pleaseth him From one Tree came many branches of euill by the inticement of one Serpent came all these spirits of â—rrours which like venemous stings incite vs to vngodly actes And yet for all this I denie not but there are malicious spirits as well as ministring spirits Diuels as well as Angels the one attending on Lucifer the Prince of Diuels the other on Michael the Lords chiefe Angell both inuisibly attempting to work vpon the Will of man vehemently or by leisure as God commands them either for the knowledg of Goodnesse or for the knowledge of Euill Neyther will I here omit to interpose another opinion of mine concerning the Diuels force which is that God the reuenger of iniquity commands the Diuell as his executioner to pursue the reprobate sometimes by immediate causes and somtimes by mediate and second causes by immediate when the faculties of the soule are by his spirituall spurres extraordinarily possessed with frenzie sury and such like by mediate causes when the instruments of the body are by his spiritual enticements tempted to receiue into them more then suffice nature so that the veines ouerflow with blood the gall with choler adust and the liuer with lust But in my iudgement with the former extraordinary or miraculous causes the Diuell cannot harme a Christian mans body really howsoeuer I thinke of the soules immediate obsession or harme the least part of his body Surely I belecue that God reserues that palpable reall power as a prerogatiue to himselfe to his owne Angels and to his second causes in this world to himselfe as when Pharaoh and his Aegyptians were miraculously plagued with Lice and other annoyances by the singer of God or when he caused his Angel for Dauids fault to smite the Israelites with pâ—stilence But thou wilt aske me how can a Christian bee frantick by the Diuels meanes and yet not really hurt by him By him by the Diuels immediate reall force Nay principally by themselues and by their owne filthy bodies which suffered themselues at first to be gluttonously carried by their owne appetites and by the Diuels spirituall suggestion If they had eaten lesse and drunke lesse such corruption of humours could neuer taint them neither could consequently frenzie possesse them And also if they had in time sought for grace by daily prayers fasting being a coadiutour vnto them God would haue hearkened vnto them and healed their indispositions But on the contrary it pleased his Maiesty to harden some to lead them into temptation because they might acknowledge his iustice and omnipotency and also serue for monuments to terrifie the wauering minded To returne vnto my former matter as all wicked spirits and vitious purtâ—rbations sprung in mortall men by meanes of the said Arch-spirit of sinne so likewise by him they worke many and sundry operations Moyses made mention of the spirit of Iealousie Esay of the spirit of Errour The Lord permitted alying spirit to goe out and be in the mouth of all Ahabs Prophets to enâ—ice him into the battell against the Sirians Another Prophet relateth of the spirit of fornication And as S. Paul records God gaue them the spirit of slumber The spirit of God departed from Saeul and an euill spirit was sent from God to vexe him Therefore his seruants aduised him to seeke a cunning player vpon the Harpe whereby he might be refreshed and eased What sense more naturall to our capacities can we gather by this euill spirit and the easie cure thereof then that it was eyther a kinde of Lunacy vsuall in that hote countrey a fit of melancholy or a falling sickenesse For the cure whereof his seruants by whom I vnderstand his Phisittans hauing experimented belike that none other medicine then musicke could auaile him or perhaps not hauing such insight in Phisicke as we haue wished him onely to comfort his heart with ioyes and as we vulgarly speake to keepe Doctor Merriman company To this opinion of mine I adioyne another reason whereof we must not descant ouer-curiously that God predestinated purposely this extraordinary accident vpon Saul for the aduancement of Dauid who vpon this occasion happily composed many of his Psalmes and confirmed the vertues of his spirit and also by this accesse into the Kings Palace he gained vnto him the mindes of his chiefe Captaines and Officers besides he got by this familiar frequency in the Court his education and experience in matters of ciuill policy which otherwise he could hardly in humane probability obtaine by reason that hee was brought vp but simply among Sheepheards This I write not of any blasphemous purpose to restraine the Lords miraculous power but that we may obserue his prouidence in vouchsafing to worke by ordinary and naturall meanes But admit that the literall sense be admitted what absurdity can ensue thereof For the Diuell in his fall hauing wholy lost the musicall consent and melodious concord which was ensused in his soule at his creation could hardly digest Dauids Hymmes and Harpe the same being quite disagreeable to his discording and disproportioned nature I say such Diuine musicke reduced the extrauagant thoughts of Saules soule to such an excellent harmony and quiet tune that the Diuell durst not abide that sweete tempered sound Ouer all the abouesaid wicked spirits the spirit of Detraction awaiteth Doth the Lord send his terrible thunder his glorious lightnings as warlike alarums to rouze vs vp from our sleepy sinnes Behold the spirit of Detraction at hand and attributes those strange signes to the Prince of this world his Lord and Master the Diuell God quoth he is the Author of goodnesse quiet and neuer intâ—rmedles with thunder-claps stormes or tempests Non illi imperium pelagi scâ—ptrumque tridentis Sed mihi sort datum
Deity For this cause did Christ descend into the flesh with lowlinesse of spirit and not with lofty glory So that his Kingdome as himselfe answered Pilate was not of this world For this cause the Israelites could not away with the Lords lightning thunders and glorious voyce on Mount Sinai but requested Moyses to stand betwixt them Let not God talke with vs said they least we die For this cause S. Paul wrote to the Corinthians I gaue you milke to drinke and not meate for you were not yet able to beare it neyther yet now are ye able ye are yet carnall Nay such is our sottishnesse that we endeuour not to attaine vnto a glimpse of the Lords glory we presume vppon delayes we procrastinate the time and neuer care for mortifications of the flesh being the ladder to heauen and chiefe meanes to obtaine faith loue and charity at the hands of God A Preacher is but a bookish fellow Sanctification is but curiosity to doe well or ill is allone Thus doe the sinfull sonnes of Adam trust too much vnto predestination as though they were made priuy of Gods inuestigable will But to winde vp the trueth in a word the preaching of Christs crosse is foolishnes vnto them that perish but vnto them which are saued it is the power of God and wisedome As there is no foole to the olde foole that is to the worldly selfe-wise so contrariwise there is no wisedome comparable to Christian simplicity which through faith thinkes it enough that God calles him to his Court though not to his Councell LINEAMENT VI. 1 A meditation upon Sathans stinges occasioned by an unsoined dreame of the Authours 2 Whether the Dragon which S. Iohn saw fighting with the Arâ—bangell was reall or spirituall 3 Whether the Serpent which deceiued Hue was reall or spirituall or both wherein the manner of her deceiuing is laid downe THus are the very best like beastes subiect vnto these spirituall flings some more some lesse according to the quality of their fleshly vessels To this purpose it will not be immateriall if I insert a meditatiue conceit of mine wherewith I was vnfainedly possessed of late Vpon Sunday night being the fourteenth day of Ianuary last 1609. I fell into a deepe study concerning our knowledge of good and euill procured by the Infernall Snake I lamented mine owne weakenesse of nature that multitudes of sinnes should treade and trample downe my Christian vertue I sorrowed in spirit that I could not free my soule from worldly concupiscence At the last after much striuing and strugling the Lords comfortable speech to St. Paul came into my minde My grace is sufficient for thee Whereupon considering my repenting heart I resolued that God suffered me to be thus buffeted and beaten with Sardonicall sinnes because I might acknowledge mine owne imbecillity and submit the same to the perfection of Christ the propitiation for sinnes who alone is Righteous and Holy For the confirmation of this meditation I was strongly assisted by this vnfained dreame On that very night I dreamed that I lay vpon the floore without stockins or shoes and suddenly me thought one warned me that I should looke vnto my selfe for a Snake lurked very neere me with which words being affrighted I bestirred my selfe and beheld the said Snake about a yard or more in length almost crept vnder me whereupon I vehemently cried for helpe to him that warned me therof who presently as it were in a moment with a weapon which he had in his hand hewed the Snake in three or foure pieces For all that I was not deliuered from seare I doubted his stinging part but he which smote him willed me in any case not to feare by reason that his sting was of no sense now that he had chopt him in pieces With that I might see a smoake or breath arising out of the Snakes diuided body At which straunge sight I prepared to hasten me away lest this smoake being infectious should like a pesulence empoyson my body But notwithstanding all this my preparation before I could get together my stockins and shoes which were the impediments of my remoue the smoake ceased on a sudden Whereupon I bewayled somewhat with my selfe that I went no sooner away from that poysonous smoake or smoakie exhalation and because I preferred such trisling impediments before the security of my life which I imagined to be in some hazard by reason of that my small stay Charitable Reader pardon me if in rehearsall of this dreame I disquiet thy delicate minde notwithstanding that our whole life is little better then a dreame No man liuing can attribute lesse credite then I doe vnto dreames yet neuerthelesse forasmuch as now and then it pleased God to reueale secrets and things to come vnto his seruants by dreames as sometime he did vnto Ioseph and Nabuchadonozor we must not altogether neglect to make reasonable vse of them As for example The man which admonished me I compare to our Sauiour Christ who of his vnspeakeable mercy towards mankinde defendeth vs while we prostrate our selues in all humility as in my dreame I lay vpon the floore from the Hellish Snake who watcheth daily to vndermine our wils And yet though his Godhead hath trodden vpon Sathans head he permits him for his glory for our triall and also for some satisfaction of his iustice to enuenom our humane willes by reason of our tarditie and remistnesse in his seruice but certainly afterwards he embraceth his Elect again And like as I plaied loth to depart w th my stockins and shoes for al that I saw the imminent danger of the poysonous Snake so doth mankind attend to the toyish bables and triuiall fables of this world while Sathan bruizeth our worldly heeles and casteth out of his mouth whole floods of spirituall venome to surround and surprise our spirituall part with passions of enuy malice fury and other infections whereof the smoakie exhalation of my dreamed Snake might well be the representing Image and Idaea And the rather I am inrooted in this opinion because I know my reasonable will to be oftentimes tainted with the said spirituall smoakie venome as I supposed in my dreame that I suckt the feeling palpable and sensible smoaky poyson of the mangled Snake into my corporall breath But herein consists my comfort that euen as I suckt this last full sore against my will so nolâ—ns volens whether I will or no I am constrained to sucke into my humane soule the other smoky poyson of the passionate Snake which I pray the victorious Treader downe of his malicious head by vertue of his Crowne of victory to conuert into the best so that my spotted spirit may be accepted in his presence for a contrite spirite AMEN As concerning that place of Genesis where the Diuell is said to appeare in the similitude of a Serpent vnto Eue and where in the Reuelation of Saint Iohn the Dragon fought with Michael in heauen
worship thee But blest art thou for all my blasphemie All honour be to thee O veritie Bright light of loue one God in vnitie And persons three in orders Trinity Which canst me free from all such vanity When it shall please thy gracious Maiesty My soule to veile with thy boundlesse bounty Though speech be winde and Schoolemens quantity Void of true sense void of true quality Yet when the same doth thy sweet lawes transcend Lord let my babling light on Babels end But for my soule let no fond Oracles Her substance spill nor stand as obstacles Eternally to blinde her spectacles Which thou hast clear'd by thy words miracles THE THIRD CIRCLE OF THE SPIRIT OF DETRACTION CONIVRED AND CONVICTED LINEAMENT I. 1 The nature of the spirit of Detraction 2 His obiections 3 The Authours answere 4 The description of Detraction 5 His Companions 6 His Paradoxes 7 Abriese consutation AMong such troupes of wicked spirits which beleaguer the sinfull sonnes of Adam none of them is so pernitious as this viperous spirit of Detraction for by this turbulent motioÌ„ Pluto himselfe being an Angell of glory lost his former state and likewise wee worldly weakelings deserue our Creators curse vpon your selues and posterities Behold yee brainsicke blabs licentious libertines behold your famous familiar your spirit of Detraction coniured and connâ—cted in a Circle without crosses without Masses without holy water without pots of good liquor or pipes of Tobacco the only moderne motiue of malicious Detraction and that by no meaner weapons then by the mysticall weapons of Michaell and Michea the powerfull Oracles of the great God O what an vnaccustomed coniuration is this New Lords new lawes masse-monging manacled Diuels discouered And dare you câ—nuict the auncient spirit of Detraction which by successiue tradition descended vnto vs well nigh a thousand yeares agoe euen about the very time when the Pope and Mahomet bought their puissant patents this for the East from the detracting Dragon the other for the West from his Eagles wing the Emperour Phocas Dare you vilifie the soueraignty of Bacchus and Tobacco and aduenture to coniure vp such an omnipotent Spirit as that of Detraction without these belching belly-Gods Which our swintsh swaggerers extoll now-a dayes on the behalfe of this spirit as chiefe purgers of superfâ—uous rheumes preparatiues of heauenly dreames visions oracles and supernaturall reuelations Then farewell kinde neighbour-hood farewell good fellowship farewell table-talke farewell descanning of destinies farewell all trencher-knights and readers of other mens actions As the body is nourished with good liquor the bones with marrow so is the soule of man with the perfume of Diuine Tobacco and with the perfusion of Detracting taunts Take away these two the cause and the effect the substance and the shadow what is mans life but a drie discourse a solitary Ghost mortified with melancholy Veritas non quaerit angulos The way of truth is plaine without turnings I feare not to lay downe the truth were my brother a Tobacconist a Wine-bibber or a false Prophet Amicus Socrates amicus Plato sed magis amica veritas Socrates is my friend Plato is my friend but Truth is my chiefest friend The excessiue taking of Tobacco together with drunken fellowship renew the forces of the Detracting spirit and likewise doe kindle the fire that was couertly raked afore vnder the ashes for his malicious humour Which to describe is an embezeling of anothers glory a wrongfull withdrawing of anothers power and a blasphemous censure inuented and blazed abroad touching the Creator or his creature which eyther may be termed a kinde of scurrility or knauish carping carpendi effusa licentia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or else a doubling of the Dogs letter Rout of their snarling nostrils To this I might adde that they offend against the third Commandement namely Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine and also against the ninth Commandement Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour which subiect themselues vnto this kinde of Spirit In the company of this wicked spirit as I said before many other spirits consort such as our Countrey-men call boone companions yea more spirits then euer molested Mary Magdalen The spirit of blasphemy as the shadow vpon the body chiefely awaites vpon him and shares with him for the pretious soule of man So doe the spirit of enuy the spirit of hatred and sundry other poysonous messengers of the common enemy the Diuell all ready sophistically to proue the idle phantasics and imaginations of shallow braines Would you coelo deducere Lunam draw the Moone down from heauen or the starres from the skie The spirit of Detraction with his mates make for you The Moone is descended and hath kist Endimion while he lay asleepe The starres be fallen and a company of drunkards at their taking of Tobacco beheld them According to that of the Poet Cum bibitir conchis hinc iam vertigine coelum Ambulat geminis exurgit mensa lucernis When wines are drunk then heauen whirleth round And candles two on boord for one abound There are Incubi which haue lien with faire women and tempted them ere now to plant Actaeons badge on their husbands foreheads Merlin your Brittish Bardh sometimes possested with the spirit of prophesie was a bastard begotten betwixt a goodly young Diuell and a goodly young Gentlewoman At old Carmarthen Merlins famous towne Nay more the Arch-Diuel hath gotten the Popes power he hath gotten the keyes of Heauen he hath authority to binde to loose to diminish the paines of hell to grant Indulgences and Pardons for one and twenty yeares of all manner of mortall sinnes he powreth downe raine amaine at his pleasure he terrifies the world with thunders lightnings and earthquakes Cornelius Agrippa is a great man in his books vseth him for his familiar and by coniurations commands the clouds and makes the Planets executioners to plague his aduersaries O monstrous blasphemie O preposterous absurditie Will any man of vnderstanding giue credite to these Idolatrous Detractions God himselfe questioning with Iob out of the Whirle-winde vtterly denies that Diuine authority to any creature Canst thou said he send the lightnings that they may walke and say vnto thee Lo here we are If Baal be God then goe after him but if the Lord be God why tempt you his patient Spirit in ascribing his dreadfull power vnto his Enemy that darkesome deadly Fiend which cannot helpe himselfe or act the least matter of importance Elias in annulling of Baals power manifested him onely to be God which answered by heauenly fire The Diuell fighteth with none other weapons then with deceit With deceitfull malice he stung Christ while he was on earth and with the selfe same weapons he stinges Christians Christ in his members now that he is in Heauen With deceit he tempted Eue and with deceit he persecuteth the woman of God the Church of Christ
For euen as Michaels weapons were the blood of the Lambe and righteous deedes so the Dragons weapons are lies and deceit When lecherous Church-men knew not how to cloke their lewd acts when noble Floraes that went currant for Puritan Nunnes could no longer couer their impure debauchments and notorious baudries then forsooth to salue their credites they divulged abroad eyther that the Diuell who repined at their chaste blinded their sights with supposed bodies liues much like vnto their louers or else with surreptitious carcases out of graues he committed carnall copulation with them LINEAMENT II. 1 Notes to discerne the spirit of Detraction 2 A limitation of speeches EVen as the well manured earth brings forth seedes and graine for mans reiiefe and vnmanured gathereth weeds mosse and brambles so the soule of man if it be well erected towards God and directed by his holy Spirit becomes diuinely disposed but ill looked vnto and let as a restlesse rogue to straggle abroad among Sathans sinfull spirits is quickly surprised with the witty workemaâ—ship of the wily Serpent and in a moment corrupted with the bane of heretic all doctrine An Hereticke I account him who being a Christian contumaciously maintaines errâ—nceus opinions or peremptory Paradoxes contrary to the best part of the Church as when you heare a creature abuse and abase his Creators glory in fatlâ—ering his forcible workes vpon his enemy the Diuell then expend and examine in the ballance of euen reason his vnreasonable detracting sentence and no doubt but the Spirit of spirits will open your eyes that you may perceiue the wicked spirit which haunteth him and hunteth after his soule Secondly obserue the quality of the person which detracteth seeing that it is a thing rare in a wise man to make the toyish tongue the Oracle of preiudicate conceit who from his cradle is otherwise taught to smother vp in silence both his owne ouer-curious inuentions conceiued of supernaturall operations and also what hee knowes or heares exorbitant friuolous and redounding eyther to the dishonour of Gods power to the disparagement of his lawes or to the disgrace of his neighbours same And for the vulgar sort their iudgement is crooked and confused that they extoll showes and shadowes of truth and cannot distinguish betweene necessary and superfluous speeches Thirdly ponder his manner of speaking whether as a passionate person in his furious mood or in the bitter and incited anguish of his soule whether the spirit of Detraction tickles the possessed party at tableboord at Tobacco-taking at gossipping for at those times people waxe giddy headed and phantasticall by reason of the mouing of the blood and humours or whether his speeches tend for his owne vtility and profite or for reuenge of supposed wrongs or emulous concurrence in worldly affaires Ex abundantia cordis os loquitur Out of the hearts abundance the tongue speakes And as abundance of raine causeth riuers to ouerflow their naturall meeres bounds and bankes and to breake with a violent deluge ouer into meadowes and plaine fields so the heart boyling ouer with surious motions will runne quite out of course and temper except it be suffered to cuaporate and vent out by the mouth which stands like an open Sepulchre or a roaring gulfe whatsoeuer is internally conceiued and consopited Yea I haue knowne some like women with childe sicke to the heart till they were deliuered of their suspicious Detractions or monstrous embrions But thou which art the Pupill of silence note that a reuiler is a lier and a lier is forgetfull as the Italian teacheth thee Maldicente è bugiardo bugiardo è smemorato It is not my purpose by these obseruations altogether to debarre discourses and neighbourly confabulations but my meaning is to disclose some meanes whereby we might discerne the nature of this Spirit which tempts our common readers to vtter before God and man such contemptuous contradictions derogatory to his Maiesty who heares with infinite patience euery word they speake As my soule cannot brooke these false aspersions and flying lies touching ones honour ones honesty ones life so on the contrary I cannot chuse but approue Christian and ciuill conference sugred and seasoned with charity loue and humility tending to the glory of God the weale of our Countrey or the welfare of our neighbours Nay I applaude with both hands all such confabulations which are relished Atticis aut Socraticis leporibê° with the sauorie smacke of pleasant conceits not vitiated with the extremes of rude scurâ—ility or of rough austerity but richly refined with the golden meane Vrbanity or Ciuility which the Grecians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let the distressed in Gods name poure out his grecuances familiarly to his friend for that easeth the minde and by talking in counsell with a faithfull friend the Spirits recouer their former vertue and strength Let Preachers reproue their Parishioners infirmities in priuate and in any case let them not reprehend particular mens faults openly in the Pulpit for that place being generall requires generall speeches Let them not rebuke any but exhort an Elder as a Father the yonger men as brethren for there is difference betwixt exhortation and rebuking and so there is difference betwixt rebuking mens persons and rebuking mens vices rebuking to edification and rebuking to desperation rebuking in patience and rebuking in passion rebuking in priuate and rebuking in publique the one is proper to the temperate spirit of God the other to the turbulent spirit of Sathan Wherefore deare Christian refraine thy tongue as it were with a bridle for to what vse will thy house serue without a doore or thy purse without strings LINEAMENT III. 1 That the imbecillity of our naturall dispositions tainted through the first Maits sinne with curiosity inconstancy and negligence is the prime cause of the spirit of Detraction 2 That our curious search after the supernaturall beginning of time worketh our confusion 3 Of our Curiosity 4 Of our Inconstancy 5 And of our Negligence OVr humane natures stained through originall concupiscence cannot but be tossed and turmoiled with many impediments first with curiosity to prie into other mens actions and in the meane space to neglect Aesops hindermost wallet wherein our owne faults are registred Secondly we are spotted with ficklenesse to change our purposes as the Chameleon at the sight of euery glozing obiect Lastly through originall wantonnesse we become infatuated and stupefied that we forget what we reade or heare pertinent to our instruction in Christ. Here I could digresse and shew that our philosophicall scanning of times and seasons is the prime point of curiosity and so the chiefe cause of our worldly sottishnes We runne vpon things imagined to be done before the beginning of time of Adams time whereas in truth this computation of time is onely humane according to mans naturall vnderstanding which otherwise could not comprehend this worlds creation Surely in my iudgement there is no respect in the other world
impediments of Education in the land where I liue which because the curiosity of our hodiernall wittes will sooner helpe to rebound with frâ—mpes then to redresse or pitty I will forbeare them with a wary caution lest the enuious enueigh against my zealous Muse lest also I seeme to kicke against the prickes and striue against the Heauenly power which perhaps hath decreed such fatall fortune vpon these parts of the Iland for our fore-parents faults and for our owne filthy facts LINEAMENT V. 1 That the secret and spirituall suggestion of the Diuell is the third cause of the Spirit of Detraction 2 The cunning reasons of the Diuell to confirme finne 3 There Consutation THe Diuell being a spirit inuisible to any mortali eye by close and cunning meane blowes with his pestilent breath into the formost seat of our braines when we be excommunicated from Gods presence and there wheeleth and circleth about our phantasies with a thousand colourable obiects able to entrap another Eue. Thence gradatim by degrees his virulent breath like the Dragons venome steales into our hearts where hee moueth the bloud peruerteth the humours corrupteth them with sensuality in such wise that we detract like vnto wanton children our best benefactors we long and lust after innumerable toyes after varieties of women wines meats apparell caualeering companions and other wordly vanities openly repugnant to the lawes of God and true nature Among many slie stratagems which he daily inuents to subdue our soules to his slauish yoake this is not the meanest nor the slowest that he enchants our willes with charmes of selfe-liking such as goe beyond all the Magicke spels of Medea Circe and Calypso Assoone as we attaine vnto yeares of discerning good from euill by his spirituall insinuarions wee flatter our sond selues with some imaginatiue excuse or other for euery particular sinne which we commit Are we swolne vp with pride and ambition Lo Sathan a friendly Sophister an Aduocate without fees out of our mouthes pleades that the sonnes of Zebedee sought for seates of highest honour and also shewes that familiarity breedes contempt that it graceth much a Gentleman to shew some stately port or portly state that euery abiect treades vpon humilities backe and that men must behaue themselues according to the times Ambition is an honourable thought of high spirits a point of magnanimity a lofty step vnto vertues chaire Are we angry cholericke or franticke Our bad Angell sayes it is but heate of bloud a short vanishing vapour a short fury Ira furor breuis est Patience is but a Poets fancy to be practized by ignoble groomes and dunghilled spirits A cholericke man hath an honest heart Doth the spirit of fornication tempt thee to defile thy vessell with forraine seed and to conuert the temple of the holy Ghost into a denne of diuellish sports with venereous thoughts Alas poore brother it is but a veniall sinne a sinne of flesh and bloud the least of a thousand sinnes to which all the world is subiect Age will tame this sinfull spirit Is it possible for vs to be chaste when Iacob Sampson and other Patriarches could not liue without their Paramours Doth the Enuious man pine away by reason of anothers prosperitie Is he sicke at the heart with griefe to see his neighbour flourish like a Palme tree Inuidus alterius rebus macrescit opimis Behold a friend in a corner a friend at neede Sathan himselfe transformed into an Angell of light protesteth that it would moue a Saint yea another Caine to see his yonger brothers oblation accepted and his graue eldership reiected We are all borne of one father Terraesilij all sonnes out of the same mould all worthy to participate the like equal immunities priuiledges and fortunes one as well as the other If thou delight in Company and dost wallow in pleasure as the Sow in the mire There 's One within thee which will wrastle alone with many bookish Preachers He layes out in colours the sweetnesse of pleasure the contentment of company the auoyding of melancholy the shortnesse of life and therefore hang sorrow kill care Let the spirit of coueteousnes possesse thee and hee will settle his possession which is as strong as eleuen points of law by teaching thee Sophistry in stead of true Logicke by perswading thee that thou carriest an Atlanticke burthen vpon thy poore shoulders Euristeus neuer imposed halfe such a cumbersome charge on Hercules as God hath laid restlesse cares on thee for an exceeding great housholde of wife children and lazie seruants how caust thou cherish thy selfe in thy olde age or arme thy selfe against worldly practises without a large stocke Et genus formam regina pecunia donat Queene coine doth giue both kinne and shape Doth truth lay in their dish that their Teachers are dumb dogges their Preachers illiterate or their companions detracting Zachary was dumbe the Apostles vnlearned and Peter detracted in denying his Sauiour Doth thy Pilades thy friend thy second selfe reproue thee again for Detraction and calummation Thou hast more friends then one Thy genius thy old familiar tels thee that this other friend is malicious he rebukes thee of hatred and not of good will A true friend will labour to conceale in the cap-case of silence the couert secrets of his friend be thy iust or vniust lawfull or vnlawfull as that Italian Poet hath well aduised vn ' vero amico A dritto a torto doue esser preposto Se tutto il mundo lui fosse opposto A trusty friend must stand with wrong or right Though all the world oppose his friend with might Wherefore was the tongue giuen to man but to vent out what the heart conceiues All men are not learned in Lullius his Art that they can discourse of euery extemporary matter Each man hath his proper gift some men be apt to inuent some other to controule some to speake as if their tongues were on wheeles and some dare not speake without precise deliberation yea some cannot finde matter to speake vnlesse their wits were refined with Tobacco good sack and sugar or their senses rub'd ouer with other mens relations tending to nouelties and strange reports Among which ranke range thou thy selfe deceitfull Sathans darling and beleeue it from the most experienced politick that if a man disclose vnto thee the secrets of his heart it is a kind of morality or morall kindnesse in thee to poure out likewise the affects of thy heart and to answere him in like proportionable measure It is no wrong while thou speakest by surmise or by heare-say Admit it were true then how can these Critical Catoes bend their browes against thee how can they mâ—â—ly taxe thee or commence suite de libellis famosis de scand alis magnatum in the Starre chamber or recouer damages by way of an action on the case at the Common law It is not amisse to bruite and blaze abroad doubtfull detracting newes for it may
drinking The like laudable custome did our present King impose by consent of his Parliament vpon our lourdanes or disguised trauellers which resorted to tauernes namely that they should not drinke aboue a quart at a meale nor stay aboue an houre in these infamous houses But as those lawes which concerne many are commonly neglected of many so notwithstanding his Maiesties wholesome lawes people now adaies through licentiousnesse hauing almost gotten a habite of disobedience few or none aduenture to execute the same Or if perhaps any one more forward then the rest fearing the shipwracke of his conscience for waxing slouthfull in his charge against these Centaurs or for winking at such enormities of these his Countries Cyclops should chance to extend the rod of his authoritie in suppressing them presently Sathan suggesteth some of his darlings detracting Barretours to countenance these lewde liuers and rather then faile he subornes them to molest those zealous magistrates by hooke or by crooke to the Starre Chamber or to some other principall Court two or three hundred miles off for trifling matters not worth the speaking and all to the entent to terrifie and tire them with tedious trauelling too and fro so that few officers dare put in execution what the law requireth them being loth to hazard their goods and persons in so wearisome a iourney in so cumbersome a suite These these bulbeggars I say be the onely obstacles that Iustice is not executed against the malefactors of our countrey Herehence it comes to passe that Iustices of milde and moderate spirits do swallow downe many a bit of bitter iniuries rather then they will aduenture their fortunes in law vpon such vile vermine Yet notwithstanding these crosses which ouerthwart your honest purposes it behoues you my Masters whom his Maiestic or his Chauncellor hath commissioned by Iethroes counsell as Rulers ouer hundreds ouer fifties to lay aside your panicke feares to looke vnto your places and not to preferre your priuate weale before the publike in intending so neerely the temporall goods of blind fortune whereof the Eye of iustice in reuenge of your remissenesse and periuries will sodainly bereaue you with a heauier scourge For this cause I could wish that this golden saying were firmely ingrauen in your thoughts Qui non impedit facinus cum possit facinori consentit He that hinders not a sinne when he may hinder it consents vnto the sinne For no doubt but this saying is alreadie verified in many of vs whom God forgiue specially when we spare Gods enemies of what nature soeuer they be eyther for indulgence importunate friendship or for feare of the Diuell or of his detracting followers Therefore be ye stout as Lyons fighting the Lords battailes The cause is the Lords the iudgement is the Lords and the Lord will be with you in the cause and iudgement Now shew your selues whose champions ye are and with your vnpartiall hands subscribe to pull and put downe these licentious Brothelries downe with these Tauernes downe with these Seminaries of corruption downe with the cause and downe with the effects if ye haue any sparke of Gods Spirit shining in you The prodigious effects hatched and fostered in these drunken Cottages as I said before is licentiousnesse the diabolicall dame of detractions periuries blasphemies and of a number of other base brats LINEAMENT III. That the Spirit of Detraction is sooner conuicted through the bright light and testimonie of the Scripture then through mens reall sorce or worldly deuices EVen as Aarons rod in Pharaoh his presence consumed all the Magicians rods that were put before it so words grounded vpon the touchstone of Truth do at the last consume to nothing all the bubling dregs of babling Detraction For by how much that Michael the Archangel is more mightie then the detracting Dragon by so much doth the speech of Truth beare a greater sway ouer the mishapen monsters of falshood which like foolish Apes by their vaine and vncharitable chattering would faine obtaine the Christian sirname of Truth But the word of life the light of vnderstanding will not abide such derogations and detractions And therefore he hath of his speciall and superabundant grace sent forth the spirit of his mouth the brightnesse of his comming to consute these hidious heresies and peremptory paradoxes which with the Antichrist were conceiued and begotten among vs. Out of this light or lightsome word out of the right resembling Image of the Fathers eternall vertues as his pledge to the Catholike Church issued his written image the sacred Scripture whose efficacy is so excellent that the testimonies thereof suffice to coniure downe all the spirits of hell into their owne bottomlesse home Being an armie of armed men against the spirit of Detraction and he will intreate them woâ—se then that possessed person did the seuen sonnes of Scaeua the Iew against whom he ranne and preuailed that they were forced to flie out of the house naked and wounded Besprinkle him with whole buckets full of holy water chant millions of masses vnto him his spirituall substance cares not for wetting and for your masses Surdo canis he will not heare them for your good but gladly heares them for your hurt and hindrance Onely a few materiall sentences extracted out of the heauenly booke and giuen in euidence by an humble-minded Christian with prayer and contrition doe certainly coniure conuince and confound all his dartes stings and forces To this end I will repeate some prouerbiall lessons selected by me out of that Booke of Life with hope that their energy and viuacitie will conuert my countrymen that are any thing towardly enclined to follow truth and integritie to become vertuously forward and not viciously froward And first I will briefly rebuke and refute the vse of idle speeches before I descend to the reprehension of deeper Detractions Wherein I will follow the example of expert Physicians who are wont at first to prescribe gentle preparatiues to attenuate and mollifie the stubborne and inueterate humours of their patients bodie before they attempt to purge the same substantially LINEAMENT IIII. The Spirit of Detraction coniured and conuicted by the Prophet Dauids Testimony THey talke of vanity euery one with his neighbour they doe but flatter with their lippes and dissemble with their heart But the Lord shall roote out all deceitfull lips the tongue that speaketh proude things which haue said with our tongue we will preuaile we are they that ought to speake who is Lord ouer vs Their throate is an open Scpulchre with their tongues haue they deceiued the poyson of Aspes is vnder their lips Their mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse Lord who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle Or who shall rest vpon thy holy hill Euen he that leadeth an incorrupt life and doth the thing that is right and speaketh the truth from his heart He that hath vsed no deceit in his tongue nor done euill to his neighbour and hath not
idle storie old father Darbishire a Iesuite sometimes Chancelour of London vnder Bishop Bonner told me in Lorraine of one Throgmorton whom he peruerted at Paris to the Romish Religion False miracles thus growne in request the Diuell foreseeing that his buzzards might breake out of his snares except he found some other stratageme to entangle them presently conuocates a Synode or Councell of Detracting Spirits not much vnlike to the Councell of Trent or the Cardinals consistory and there enacteth parts for seuerall spirits to act yet so that the Spirit of Detraction attend on thē all some he appoints to play the parts of Hobgoblins or Robbing goodfellowes some he chuseth to countenance the Clergy in their perking chaires some to feast with the foolish pezants who of the Italians were called glifarfarrelli mazzapengoli and of the English and Romanes fairie folkes lares Dryades Hamadryades some to mocke monkes as horned Satyres Some he subornes with fained shapes to appeare vnto grosse headed folke Whereas in very deed such shapes are no more reall then Euridices Ghost whom her husband Orpheus thought to apprehend when in the end Nilnisi cedentes infoelix arripit auras Vnhappy he on nothing meets But on the ayre which backe resleet When a man fortunes to see any such such straunge sights let him call to mind that they be but decept to visus a colourable mist cast forth by the spiritual Dragon to bewitch his vnderstanding or that his sight is possessed with some suffusion after sleepe figured and symbolized with false visions of small atomes manifoldly colored or else let him call to memory his owne imbecillitie of nature which might be mislead eyther with an antipathy or with excesse of choler or melancholy as when he is sicke of a saffronlike iaundise or when some grosse glewy matter is gathered within the fleshy sinew of the eye Doe not we reade in bookes of naturall Sience that the sensible obiect being more exceedingly excellent doth dull the sence which is lesse excellent doth not snow sometimes grieue our sights Doth not a candle of virgine waxe mixt with oyle of snakes alter the outward forme of the lookers faces and cause the whole roome to appeare in shew of snakes haue not we in our time seene artificiall looking glasses formed by cunning Optickes representing many miraculous faces to one onely obiect Doth not a composition of Aqua vitae Brimstone and Salt make the standers by to seeme pale colored To this I adde that we seeme to see sometimes fiery Dragons Beares and monstrous meteoures in the clouds when as in truth the same are but moyst vapours mounted vp from the earth into the ayre not hauing any such shapes but only such changeable impressions as the Chameleon-like ayre affoordes them Let him also consider how diuerse honest men haue mistaken knowne waies in a mystie day The reflection of the Sunne beames haue sundrie times bedazeled our eye sights So we see thinges which are neere vnto scarlet to shine red Much more must we conceiue of Sathans craft who hath beene experienced in pollicie euer since the beginning of the world He cannot chuse but exceede the wisest Philosopher in worldly skill by reason that hee is not clogged at all with a massie bodie of flesh and bloud as we are for this cause I say Sathan ouerlookes more easily into the secrets of nature and practiseth them with greater promptitude and agilitie against vs when for our vnworthinesse or weaknesse God leaues our inward man naked not vouchsafing to cloath him with the habillements of grace Howbeit for all that the Diuels knowledge is great yet we must deeme it but coniectures and gesses which God oftentimes ouermastereth checketh and changeth because we might know that he alone is powerfull and true To returne where I haue digressed Sathan because that we might see how he hath more strings to his bow then one and knowes more waies into the wood then one employeth some others spiritually to seduce mens shallow imaginations which agents of his he commissioneth with speciall errands and articles some he inspires to tell fortunes as lying Palmisters some to obserue the flying of fowle the entrailes of fowle which we terme Augures some as Salamanders to prophesie by fire which we name Pyromancers some to counterfeit the state of Geographers as vaine Geomancers and some he en chanteth like Chameleons for spruce parasites cunning courtiers to sooth euery man in his humour and then with a Sardonicall laughter to cut their neighbours throates These with many other functions of bastard artes he insinuates into phantasticall persons and also into them which build vpon their owne wisedomes But the most detestable of all his faculties which I tremble to write of is the sacrilegious sinne of Detraction against his Makers maiestie wherwith he possesseth the most part of our country men not onely in causing them to ouerglut and ouerlade their bodies with meate drinke and smoke of Tobacco two or three consuming in one day as much as would suffice twentie honester men then themselues but also in the middest of those their Bacchanales to taunt the glory of God to gibe at his glorious signes and to impute the causes with the effectes of thunders and lightnings vnto his lying selfe It is wonderfull to marke how opinionated the most part of the world are in this poysonous paradoxe They haue bene so long blinded in other superstitions that they will hardly suffer themselues to be lifted vp out of the gulfe of ignorance It may be likewise that the Diuell as he is an excellent enginer to gaine himselfe that fulgurant fame and thundring name hath sometimes appeared in varieties of false vgly formes euen then when these naturall creatures of God followed their naturall course and motion and so by that iugling tricke made the world beleeue that it was he which played reuell rex abroad in that terrible equipage Parturiunt montes nascctur ridiculus mus He is with child of mounts and lofty things But a poore mouse and trifles he forth brings Well may the Dragon striue to flie but his wings are clipt and he according to Gods curse must creepe vpon his belly and eate the dust of the earth all the daies of his life Well may he arrogate vnto himselfe anothers operation but as a curst cow hath short hornes so must he in the end go naked like Aesops crow when the true Owner challengeth his owne plumes of glory God workes all wonders tulit alter honores but the Diuell beares the honour for a while LINEAMENT IX 1 What is the craft of our common Wizards 2 That Souldiours and men of courage haue been daunted with disguised Angels 3 Examples of ordinary Wichcraft Sorceries and Coniurations OVr common Wichcraft Southsaying consultation with spirits and Coniurations are nothing but cousenages legierdemaines impostures confederacy or coni-catching craft in making folkes beleeue that they can prophesie worke miracles tell fortunes reueale
much from Gods glory and omnipotency when we say He doth but giue Satan leaue to do it which is to deride and mocke Gods iustice as that worthy man Master Caluine wrote The Diuell is not at his owne liberty nor can he in the extremest censure otherwise then a hangman act any thing without the restrictiue commandement of the highest Iudge I say his permission must be authentickly ioyned with commission from God He is not in such fauour or grace with our Almighty Lord. Onely his Maiestie permits his spirituall insinuating and ghostly temptations for his glory and our edification in Christ. He permits him as the spirituall instrument of iustice for our hardnesse of heartes to entrap the chiefe part of man the reasonable will and by reason of our negligence in his seruice to accuse and relate our sinnes before him not that God is ignorant of our closest sinnes but perhaps because his Maiestie is pleased to vse ordinary meanes iudiciall formes and legall proceeding to condemne the guiltie Such as the Informer or Promoter is in our worldly Courts such is the Diuell in the heauenly Parliament And such a one will he be at the great iudgement day when our Messias both God and man shall iudge mankind In the meane time let vs perswade our selues that the Diuels meaning is to deceiue vs whether he seemes to appeare in borrowed shapes eyther of himselfe or by the commaund of wicked men Besides this deluding force I know certainly he hath none other With this weapon he was licensed by God in the beginning to sting vs in our heeles that is to tempt vs with legions of sinnes which by degrees brings death and perpetuall darknesse Euen as a man being stung in his heele or legge by reason of that infectious venime which with deadly tumors or swellings creepes vp by little and little into the heart must needs did except his legge that was so stung had beene chopt of in time or cured by an extraordinarie balsame so the variable will of man being seduced by Sathan or by his substitute Sinne which by degrees encreaseth to legions and as it were vncurable and vnrevokeable must needs be condemned to hell together with the soule her deere consort except she were absolued of her sinnes vpon her repentance bathed in Christs bloud and so healed by the balme of grace With this weapon he asâ—aulted Eue with this weapon he wounded Ahabs false Prophets And in this sort shall he goe out to deceiue the people which are in the foure quarters of the world This is he the Dragon that old serpent which is the Diuell and Sathan I say this is he the great red Dragon which deceiueth all the world which fought with Michael and his Angels which makes spirituall warre with the woman cloathed with the Sunne the Church of Christ. This is he which gaue the beast with the seauen heads that is the Church of Rome the seauen hilled Citie by the Tyrrhene Sea his power his throne and great authoritie So that great Babilon is now become an habitation of Dâ—uels the hold of all fowle spirits and a cage of euery vncleane and hatefull bird and as Stigelius writes Imperij quondam sedes nunc turpe lupanar Vix vmbram prisci Roma nitoris habet Rome that was once an Empires seat is now A wolfe-stie scarce of that brightnesse shadow LINEAMENT XIII Aphrismes collected out of the first Fathers of the Primitiue Church concerning the Diuels power IUstine the Martyr in his Apologie for the Christians to the Romane Senate who among other seruples obiected that God would not suffer them to bee persecuted if their doctrine were true answered that the Christians were persecuted for the confirmation of their faith by Gods permission and also by the instinct and incitement of wicked spirits who at all times haue persecuted the louers of vertue as Socrates Heraclitus and Musonius but chiefly they moued persecutions against the Christians The same Martyr speaking of the vertue of the name of Iesus which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 writes At the powerfull name of Iesus Christ crucified vnder Pontius Pilate the Diuels being adiured euen at this day with horrour and trembling doe obey vs Christians The Diuell is most busie against the light of the Gospell he moueth the Infidels to detract Christ with Magicke he prouoketh Hereticke to falsifie the truth according to their owne phantasies Tatianus disputing with the Grecians because they derided and despised the Christian Religion said that the motiues of their derision were the spirituall suggestions of the Diuell which deceiued them by vndertaking cures of diseases and by deluding them with witch craft and Diuinations thereby to withdraw men from the true worship of God Irenaeus the Disciple of Polycarpus who likewise was the Disciple of S. Iohn the Euangelâ—st proued that God was to be worshipped and not the Diuell first because the Diuell could not keepe and obserue any promises which he made for himselfe possessed nothing secondly because that the Diuell hath alwaies beene a lyar and is not to determine of any earthly Kingdomâ—s Origen auerreth that charmes and sorceries are dâ—risions of Diuels the dregs of Idolatry and the besotting of soules Likewise he affirmeth that our conflictand contention with euill spirits is spirituall These be the opinions of the Greeke Fathers which flourished within three hundred yeares after Christ. Tertullian the first Latine Father testifieth that the Diuell is the Authour of sinne euen as God is the Authour of the punishment of sinne That which is counterfeit is the businesse of the Diuell euen as that which is naturall is the worke of God Persecution immediately is sent from God and not from the Diuell Wicked spirits are the Authours of all wickednesse which is committed by man They fill all things with deceits craft and errours They infinuate themselues into mens bodies but they cannot hurt any man 〈◊〉 him whom they haue in their full power They were tâ—â— inuentors of Astrologie Southsaying Oracles Nâ—gromancy and Magicke Their chiefe endeuour is to auert men from the worshippe and knowledge of the Diuine Maiesty God suffereth the Diuell thus to delude mankinde to the entent that the euiil might fight with the good that vices might be opposed to vertue that God might haue some to punish and some to honour him Augustine vtterly denieth the Diuels reall power ouer any of Gods workmanship in these words We must not thinke that this materiall substance of visible things doe obey the Angels which transgressed but that they obey God alone Another reuerend Elder of the Church reasoning about the cause of the desection of the Diuels illusion writeth after this manner Heretofore Diuels in vaine formes did ensuare men with deceits hiding themselues in riuers rockes groues and woods but now-a-dayes since that Gods word hath beene made manifest those deceitfull sights spirits and illusions
lucre sake or of set purpose to please the kings humour And the word of the Lord came to Ieremy the Prophet who thus said vnto him Heare now Hananiah the Lord hath not sent thee but thou makest this people to trust in a lie Therefore thus saith the Lord Behold I will cast thee from off the earth This yeare thou shalt die because thou hast spoken rebelliously against the Lord. So Hananiah died the same yeare in the seuenth moneth Holophernes offended with Achior because he said that the Lord of heauen had no more power then his king Nabuchodonozor blasphemously detracted his eternall Maiesty Who is God quoth he but Nabuchodonozor he will send his power and will destroy them from the face of the earth and their God shall not deliuer them Within a while after he was slaine by a woman and his army discomfited Elymas the Sorcerer withstood Barnabas and Paul and sought to turne away the deputy from the Christian faith Then Paul being full of the holy Ghost set his eyes on him and said O man full of all subtiltie and all mischiefe the child of the Diuell and enemie to all righteousnesse wilt thou not cease to peruert the straight waies of the Lord Now therfore behold the hand of the Lord is vpon thee and thou shalt be blind and not see the Sunne for a season Our Sauiour Christ through the Spirit of God through profound arguments confounded the Pharisees that detracted his glorious miracles alledging that he did cast out spirits no otherwise then through Baalzebub Prince of Diuels His arguments were these Euerie kingdome saith he diuided against it selfe shall be brought to nought and euery Citie or house diuided against it selfe shall not stand So if Sathan cast out Sathan he is diuided against himselfe How then shall his kingdome endure Whereby we may gather that the chiefest fight against the Spirit of Detraction is the irrefragable word of God seeing that our Master Christ himselfe vsed this kinde of armour Herod made an eloquent Oration to them of Tyre and Sidon so that the people shouted saying It is the voyce of God and not of man But because he arrogated the same to his owne worth and gaue not glory vnto God the Angell of the Lord smote him that he was caten of wormes Saint Paul the Apostle imputes mens mentall punishments infectious sicknesses with these pestilent sinnes to our ingratitude and negligence in glorifying and seruing God When they knew God saith he they glorified him not as God neithet were thankfull but became vaine in their imaginations and their foolish heart was full of darknesse When they professed themselues to be wise they became fooles for they turned the glory of the incorruptible God to the similitude of the image of a corruptible man of birds of foure footed beasts and of creeping things Wherefore God gaue them vp to their hearts lustes vnto vncleannesse They turned the truth into a lie they serued worshipped the creature forsaking the Creator for which cause God gaue them vp vnto vile affections The same Apostle in shewing the cause of the ruine of the Iewes and the calling of the Gentiles ascribes the same vnto their Detractions for they going about to establish their owne righteousnesse submitted not themselues to the righteousnesse of God THE SIXT CIRCLE OF THE SPIRIT OF DETRACTION CONIVRED AND CONVICTED LINEAMENT I. 1 The spirit of Detractions pleas and allegations on the behalfe of his humouring and soothing men in their vanities 2 The said spirit sharpely rebuked for his Equiuocation and dissimulation 3 The Authours purpose in this subsequent Circle HEe is no Politician quoth Peter please-man that will not pledge the world in the cup of Detraction chiefly in these vntoward times when men shall sit by themselues as forsaken and forlorne vnlesse they iumpe one with another in the selfe same veine of discourse whether it be in derogating from Gods omnipotence or in diminishing of their neighbours fame How shall men otherwise consume away their times Reading occasioneth bloudshot eyes and moyst migrims silence ingendreth melancholy and sleepe obstupefieth the lodge of imagination But speeches be they merry or malicious iesting or gibing doe extend the windpipes enlarge the heartstrings exhilarate the soules faculties and enduce all companies to admire a mans fluent tongue and to extoll his filed voice Wilt thou be enrolled in Gentlemens bookes for one of their principall fauorites straine thy selfe to humour them scoffe when they scoffe bite when they bite and like Hippocrates twinnes laugh and weepe together If thou hearest them blaspheme or blazing outnouelties indeuor thou to verifie the same or to requite their familiar conference with some additions of thine owne inuention By this meanes thou shalt make thy company precious vnto them also prie like an insinuating intelligencer into the inward state of all thy countrey By this means thou shalt learne their seuerall and secret inclinations who be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 corrupt Magistrates who be carousers fornicators or who haue encurred the danger of any penall statute An Romule coeâ—es Art thou a Brittaine a Christian and dost thou faune and wag thy taile like a spaniell Dost thou preach the doctrine of Diuels Doest thou teach men to equiuocate to dissemble to detract and to lash out lies O sonne of Belial thou art in the gall of hell and hast no portion with vs in our Christian busines How canst thou loue God whom thou neuer sawest seeing thou canst not loue thy brother in Christ whom thouseâ—st daily And how canst thou loue thy Sauiour Christ when thou shamefully sharest his seamclefie coate with Sathans soldiours or when thou tearest his members name fame with thy taunting tongue Words wound a man worse then swords No deadly drugs of Arsenicke or aconite are comparable to lying lips no spirit more dangerous then the spirit of Detraction Let a man obserue silence and he shal neuer obtaine harme let him when he speaks speake soberly and all men will loue him or if that Ismaels seede doe taunt him Isaacs seede will tender him If the vngodly contemne him the godly will comfort him And will not the comfortable loue of one godly man counterpoise the contempt of many vngodly Let him seldome speake or not before a question be asked him and he shall neuer be indemnified Let him follow the French mans counsell Parler beaucoup on ne peut sans mensonge Ou pour le moins sans quelque vanite Le parler briefe convient à verite Et l' autre est propre à la fable et au songe To prattle much one cannot without lies Or at the least without some vanitie It well agrees with dreames and fooleries But pithie words belong to veritie For this purpose that the talkatiue may be ashamed of their tatling tongues for the publike good and for my modest memoriall towards her that rests with the Lord of rest haue I
mens sake that they might haue a place correspondent to their natures he drew the platforme of this world Wherein these principall things concurred first his purpose next his wisedome thirdly his goodnesse fourthly his power fiftly his generall prouidence sixtly his particular predestination To returne backe towards the first which is his purpose or intent There is the map of all the world and of euery thing to be done there throughly contriued in his minde before the beginning of his worke Then his wisedome goodnesse and power animated him to go forwards and to prouide for the building of his new place of plantation or world for as then there wanted a mediate or second instrument to worke vpon Wherefore he was driuen to create all of nothing that is without any second meanes without the assistance or aduise of any other In this creation he vsed the helpe of his word onely that was his omnipoteÌ„t selfe whom the naturall Philosophers otherwise termed the first mouer or supreme cause of all things There was no power in his Angels for they were but creatures themselues hauing their motions by his very motion In the power of his onely will and motion it consisted to create the essence of the materiall substance of the world And so he made heauen and earth and by vertue of his Spirit he breathed life forme or motion into them and into all the creatures thereof so that all things were in the compasse of sixe daies enlightened replenished supported and sustained by the motion of his powerful spirit yea all things the firmament the planets starres meteours elements and all other creatures whatsoeuer were vnited with such a perfect vnion that they make vp a perfect globe map or booke of his neuerenough-admired nature And which is most miraculous to mans capacity euer since that he moued them they continually moue one another by different motions do effect all things in this world eyther for generation preseruation or destruction according to his supreme direction Some moue one another by necessary or fatall motions Some by voluntarie motions some by casuall motions some by naturall motions eyther slow or swift What good things come to passe we are to attribute to himselfe who is the first mouer of all these motions But what euill things come to passe we must ascribe to the second motions which are voluntary and vncompelled by him I say we are to ascribe euill things to second causes that we detract not from his omnipotence in making him the immediate cause or in affirming that they proceeded without his consent For as goodnesse comes from his wil so euill cannot come against his will but by his sufferance and permission it comes from secondarie motions LINEAMENT III. The Spirit of Detraction conuicted for measuring Gods prouidence by their owne humane prouidence THose naturallists doe greatly erre which measure the diuine prouideÌ„ce by their own humane prouidence or rather by their wanton affections Little doe they thinke that their naturall computation of time causeth this vnnatural imputation for with God all times be one and a thousand yeares in his sight are but as yesterday With him who is the beginning and end of all things there is no time past nor time to come in respect of his foresight by reason that his foresight is his present sight so as he beholdeth at once at one instant which instant with him is alwaies and eternall not onely all things which euer happened or euer shall happen but also euery particular thing as then presently done and looketh so earnestly so cleerely vpon it as though his eye were fixed intentiuely on that thing and on nothing else The reason is because there is no distinct differences of time in the eternitie seeing that at one looke he seeth all the world ouer And his intent to doe a thing and his doing of a thing is all one and the selfesame in respect of his eternall knowledge though it be otherwise in respect of mans naturall knowledge Let this suffice for Gods generall foresight or purpose of all things which we call his Prouidence that extends vniuersally to all the world and to all the creatures thereof Now it remaines that I discourse somewhat of Predestination which is not a thing seuered from his Prouidence but onely that noble part thereof which belongs to his noblest creature vnder the coâ—e of heauen for whose sake he created all the world making him his Deputie or Bayliffe to vse the same for his glory and not to abuse the same for his owne luxuriousnesse LINEAMENT IIII. 1 The Authors censure of Predestination 2 That all second causes doe worke their effects according to the first causes direction which is God 3 How God endowed some with free will through grace to enable them vnto faith 4 The Spirit of Detraction conuâ—cted for imputing the cause of mens damnation to Gods decree GOod and euill were certainly predestinated vnto vs in our seuerall estates euer since the beginning of the world by our Creatour not according to any euill deserts or vertuous motiues of ours but onely according to his owne free pleasure according to the absolute counsell of his owne soueraigne will and according to the vniuersall power which his omnipotence hath ouer the workmanship of his hands Neither yet constraines he any of his second causes to commit good or euill by any forcible operation or necessitie of nature but by disposing vnto effects sutable to their seuerall conditions Whereby both good and euill actions shall flow out of the said second causes according to their owne dispositions euen as a voluntary quality proceeds from a voluntary cause and a casuall quality from a casuall cause His omnipotent Maiesty I say as the first mouer the first cause is the immediate mouer and cause of all effects whatsoeuer the second cause brings forth and also the cause of all their inclinations Euen as Deliberation which is the chiefest act of our vnderstanding in the knowledge of good and euill and the Gospell of Christ are the mediate and secondary causes in the first act of the conuersion of our humane willes now passiue towards the will of God being the first and supreme cause of our deliberation of this Gospell and of our willes and euen as these two causes the second depending on the first must ioyne together before that we can resolue on any good or euill word thought or deed so the Planets Meteors or other natural creatures of God in respect of him being second causes caÌ„not produce any effect whatsoeuer good or euill for our benefit or harme without his supreme direction Both causes worke naturally in this world when both conioyne in a naturall effect against a naturall creature And yet sometimes it pleaseth his soueraign Maiestie to wound nature without any such second or natural causes which gulfe because it is perillous to saile through I will modestly content my selfe by the shore or on this side of that great
Sea following Du Bartas his aduise hauing Faith for my sailes the holy Ghost for my Pâ—lot and the Bible for my starre Qui voudra seurement par ce goussre ramer Sage n'atlie iamais cingler en haute mer. Ains costoye la riue aiant la foy pour voile L'Espâ—it saint pour nocher la Bible pour estoile But quoth the reprobate then may I do whatsoeuer my will enduceth me vnto It is all one whether I commit good or euill For if goodnesse be already predestinated vnto me I shall surely light vpon it neither can all the prouocations of the world the flesh or the diuell cause me to erre O curuae in terras animae coelestiura inanes O stooping soules to earthly trumperies And quite deuoide of heauenly mysteries Though God foresaw before the ground worke of the world was laid that such and such might be saued yet notwithstanding he knew in his wisdome that they could not by reason of their affections and of themselues without his assistance attaine to that perfect state And therefore he interpoled his mercy together with his iustice he sent his owne spirit among them incarnated to ease them of that grieuous yoake which flesh and bloud found insupportable whereby he foresawe that men might please him if they were endowed with as much free-will as they might chuse for their enabling thereunto To this end he inspired some with faith and some he reiected yet with this caueat and condition did he predestinate them to faith that this faith should serue as a badge or cognizance to discerne them from the reprobate so that their election being conditionall they should not waxe presumptuous cowardes nor Apostates Thus all our actions all our goodnesse all our misfortunes yea and our liues willes and destinies are subordinate without coaction or constraint vnto Gods directions whose supreme will being aboue our willes and flowing into our willes takes not away the iudgements of our vnderstanding nor enforceth vs but so ruleth vs that we in chusing or refusing doe somewhat follow our owne reasonable willes For he that made vs without vs will not sanctifie vs without vs that is without our cooperation and consent Much lesse can the influence of the Starres or Meteours induce a necessitie of destinie and master our complexions without our consent The very beginning of all our operations was infused by our Creator in our selues with freedome of will So that no constellations or meteours if being corporall substances they triumph other whiles ouer our bodies by Gods direction yet cannot they sway our mindes because they are diuine spirituall and of a purer substance then themselues And surely they are strongly possessed with the spirit of Errour which ascribe the cause of their damnation immediatly vnto Gods ineuitable decree for the certainty of his decree doth no way force them of necessitie to be saued or damned as they please And though the intent of God himselfe be certaine and immutable yet notwithstanding the meanes of bringing the effects of saluation or damnation to passe doe not proceede from necessarie but from voluntary motions for Gods prouidence or foresight which as I wrote in the former discourse is alwaies present eternall and at once obseruing that such effects would follow and seeing as it were at the same instant such to follow his commaundements as liuely as if they had alreadie fulfilled them and contâ—arywise seeing such and such to commit sinne as if he had seene them then alreadie committed knew certainly who would be his elect and who would be rebellious Weercupon he ordained eternall rewards and eternall punishments for them As for example a man sicke of a Calentura or burning ague is charged by his Physition not to drinke wine The patient notwithstanding the strictnesse of his charge by reason of his continuall custome and former disordered life carouseth wine and dieth Which that Poet well remembred Et tremor inter vina subit calidumque trientem Excutit è manibus dentes crepuere retecti In drinking wine the panges of death From him the cup do wrest His members quake his teeth doe shake His life can finde no rest Now the cause of this mans death was himselfe for if he had obeied the Phisitian he had recouered his health After this fatall accident we cannot denie but it might haue otherwise hapned but the thing being once done we certainly know it was done and what was done must needs be done for now it cannot be vndone Howbeit that in the doing or drinking of the wine the sicke party might haue chosen whether he would drinke it or no. So in our actions concerning saluation or damnation there is no necessitie or restraint but we may chuse in time whether we will be saued or no neither ought we iustly to accuse God for our damnation if we be damned or blame his immutable and ineuitable decree but lay the fault where it ought Seeing that God is content that his will should concurre with ours let vs lay the fault on our stubborne selues who through a customarie delight in sinning haue wittingly and wilfully deserued it For his diuine Maiesty to free himselfe did tender his grace to all euery man might by acceptance there of auoid the punishment flie from the wrath to come if he would so that it is not the necessitie or constraint of Gods decree which inferred our damnation but our contempt of Gods commaundements which albeit we need not commit vnlesse we would yet being once committed must needs be committed which his prouident Maiestie perceiuing thus to proceede and chance as alreadie proceeded and chanced decreed eternall reward for the righteous and eternall punishment for the reprobate Concerning this last point we may iustifie the certaintie of his decree But to charge his Prouidence with the occasion of our sinnes as by the necessitie of his decree is damnable for it is one thing to enquire whether God knew that such and such would be damned and another thing to enquire whether he forced them to sinne and so to worke their owne damnation And it is another thing to affirme that God knowing such and such would sinne according to their natures did decree eternall punishment for them LINEAMENT V. That God is not the Authour of Temptation but an Actor therein NEyther tempteth God any man but giueth the wicked man ouer to his owne concupiscence and consequently to sinne and Sathans alluring baits He tempteth no man immediatly but according to his vnsearchable pleasure he turneth away his countenance withdraweth the influeÌ„ce of his grace from him and then is mans heart hardened by reason of his owne naturall imbecillitie lead into temptation and left as corpus opacum eyther for a while eclipsed or for euer enticed with the world the flesh and the Diuell And yet God is not the Author of our corruptions though he be an Actour in corrupting The doing of a thing proceeds from the Creator and the euill doing
times within the same quarter of the yeare that she dyed I know very well quoth she I cannot liue till the first of March Another time being as I remember not aboue three weekes before her death descending downe from her chamber where then she had beene at prayers shee came smiling vnto me with these words Husband I bring you good tidings you shall be rid of me and you shall haue another wife for I am fully assured that I shall dye very shortly and that before the first of March And I thanke God I am prepared let him send when hee will Which words of hers being by me accepted in iest shee replyed as if shee had seene a vision or felt some extraordinary motion in her spirit you thinke I speake in iest but marke the end Neyther did the Lord I speake it to his glory send this glorious alarme vnto mee without an implicite or mysticall premonition for about two Moneths before or thereabouts as farre as I remember in a dreame I saw the very like accident Mee thought I was at a Knight my brothers house and there lying vpon my bed I imagined to haue seene and heard vpon the sodaine in the night time a most terrible lightning and thunder in such wise that I made full account the whole house had beene burnt or cast downe and therefore to saue my life with much adoe I hastned out of doores where I supposed to haue beheld the inner part of the house terribly flaming with fire and presently after I might see one conueying out of doores a Chest whereupon I bewailed that a blacke Truncke of mine stored with money was left behind consumed with the flame This dreame I related to my said Brother being at my house about three weekes before the accident wished him in my brotherly loue to looke somwhat more warily to his house least night fires might endanger him by reason of the height of his house the same not inferiour for height to any house which I haue seene and likewise by reason of the partitions being timber-worke Neuerthelesse for all this I aduise not the Reader to embrace this dreame of mine for an infallible president because that dreames sort our commonly according to the diet temperate or intemperate sparing or gluttonous which men vse And yet I beleeue God seldome vseth to inflict any notable accident vpon a charitable Christian that mortifies his body with competent fasting and moderates his soule with contemplation of heauenly mysteries vvithout some secret prodrome or fore-running glimpse of his powerfull purpose Nor doe I aduise my Reader to surmise that I conceiue ouer credulously or superstitiously of Morphâ—us or Phobetor the Poeticall Gods of dreames as necessarie causes of notorious effects For my sentence is none otherwise of dreames then of Comets and Eclipses vvhich likewise are not the causes of remarkable euents but onely such signes and tokens are as smoake at the top of a chimney or as an Iuie bush put forth at a vintrie the one prognosticating fire within the other the sale of wine Thus it pleased the glorious Lord of lightnings to extend his miraculous mercy towards me and perhaps to leaue me as a firebrand taken out of the burning or as Ezechiels signe for a testimonie of his lightning glory to hardned hearts This is the second miracle whereby as a virbius or Rediuiuâ—s I acknowledge my selfe twise restored from death to life within the compasse of seauen yeares euen about the selfe same season of the yeare when our Sauiour Christ became flesh for the saluation of flesh The first time of my deliuerance vvas vpon a Christmas day 1602. This latter time on the third of Ianuarie 1608. and both vpon a Tuesday In Fraunce betwixt Tremblado and Marena a passage of two leagues ouer it was my chance on a Christmas day to be stricken into the surging Sea vvith the boistrous force of a cruell tempest where I had no sooner falne and cried to the Lord for helpe but sodainely beyond all expectation I found an Oare betweene my hands to defend or rather deferre my life And to this houre I cannot deuise where-hence the said Oare should chance vnto me In this dolefull sort I floated almost a quarter of an houre very often tossed and ouerturned with the furious rowling of the stormie waues vntill it pleased God at length of his exceeding bounty in that rough tempestuous weather when the proudest ship became humbled as the weakest reed to direct the course of that small Barke from whence I fell towards mee and to guide the Marriners hands as a man would say against winde and weather against Oares and Sailes for the haling me vp in a manner dead and ready to forsake the Oare So that I may boldly say that I haue beene miraculously preserued both from fire and water Sic coniurati veniunt ad classica venti So windes coniur'd descended to our sailes And if it were lawfull for me to apply those Meeters in the Psalter destinated to our Sauiour Christs resurrection I would sound out with ioyfull cheere Thus from aboue the Lord sent downe to fetch me from belowe And pluckâ— me out of waters great which would me ouerflowe I would also with Ionas the Prophet exhibite my submissiue petition vnto the Lord my Sauiour Thou didst cast me downe into the deepe into the midst of the sea and the floods compassed me about all thy billowes and waues passed ouer mec And I said I am cast away out of thy sight yet will I looke againe towards thine holy Temple Here I could lay downe how his omnipotent Maiestie respected me in all my trauailes both by land and water Twise I passed the Pyrenaean Mountaines betwixt Fraunce and Spaine and that in the dead of Winter Twise I trauailed ouer the Alpes I escaped the Banditi in Italy robberies in Hungary and in other forraine Countries All which deliuerances Per varios casus per toâ— discrimina râ—rum Through diuers straights through dangers infinite Ordinarie and extraordinarie I ascribe to no other destenie or fortune then to the great Redeemer of the world the mighite Lord strong mercifull gracious slow to anger aboundant in goodnesse and truth reseruing mercie for thousands forgiuing iniquitie transgression and sinne From whom I confesse this last lightning Tragedie to be sent as a preparatiue for me and others In like manner I confesse it was profitable for my soules health that God after this dreadfull fashion rouzed me vp out of my Tent of securitie For indeed I liued almost as carelesse as Sardanapalus bewitched with worldly ease but now I thanke my gracious Lord mine eyes begin to open my soule begins to see her faults God giue mee grace to perseuer in this acknowledgement and to ascribe the glorie vnto him alone LINEAMENT XIIII 1 The spirit of Detraction connicted for censuring the Lords secret iudgements 2 The Authors imperfections acknowledged 3 His meditation on his late
Summers attendance after many a frozen Winters watching expecting my conuersion to knocke againe most patiently at the doore of my soule and thus to call vnto her while shee slept so carelesly Open vnto me my sister my loue my doue for my head is full of dâ—â—r and my lockes with the drops of the night Againe and againe it pleased thee to inuite mee after this manner Returne O thou rebellious childe and I will heale thy rebellions for euen as a woman hath rebelled against her husband so hast thou rebelled against mee How dease is he that heares not such a voyce A voyce more vehement then the sound of many waters How deepely sleepes he that is not wakened vvith such a morning vvatch vvith such a melodie A melodie more musicall then euer Tuball Amphion or Arion could possibly conceiue When all thy creatures combined against me in reuenge of my disloyaltie towards thy sacred soueraigntie thou didst temper their fiery fury thou didst moderate their biting bitternesse The foure Elements which thou madest for my conseruation conspired all to roote my being out of the Land of the liuing The Ayre threatned to taint my breathing with contagious smels with Stigian stinckes The Fire assayed to burne my bruitish body The Water stroue vvith might and maine to ouerwhelme me vtterly The Earth endeuoured before her time to abridge my luxurious life And all because I had offended their great Creator But thou more mercifull then thy creatures for the loue of thy Name and for the loue of thy Sonne didst controule all their practises and confound the deuises of the Diuel himselfe How happy am I that thou prolongst my dayes how kinde art thou that sparest to spill the bloud of thy very foes O kindenesse without desert O courtesie without comparison Behold behold yee mortals all how the Lord hath deliuered me from the danger nay from the dungeon of death from sodaine death The God of glory hath defended mee from Thunder and Lightning from vvater and fire O what oblation can the poore Samaritanâ— sacrifice vnto his sacred Maiestie for these his wonderous workes Ille magis gratae laetatur mentis odore Quam consecrato sanguine mille boum Nam prece non alio gaudet honore Deus God better loues a thankfull minde then many Oxens bloud For poore mens prayers he preferres before the rich and proud Seeing thankfulnesse is such a sweet smelling odour in his sacred no strils let me proclaime his glorious Name Alleluiah Osanna in the Highest Blessed be the name of his heauenly Highnesse blessed in heauen blessed on earth and blessed throughout all ages The Lord be blessed for euermore vvhich hath enlightned mee in the darksome shadow of errours vvhich hath enlarged mee from a vvorld of perils vvhich hath recalled me failing vvhich hath raised me falling vvhich hath recouered mee running almost out of breath from falling and fainting Let all Nations performe their duties let them praise the Lord for it is hee that commandeth the waters It is the glorious God that maketh the Thunder It is the Lord that ruleth the sea The voyce of the Lord is a glorious voyce the voyce of the Lord breaketh the Cedar trees yea the voyce of his thunder was heard round about the lightning shone upon the ground The Earth was moued and shooke withall his way is in the sea and his paths in the great waters Applaud him O my soule applaud his magnificent Maiesty Let his laud be euer in thy thoughts Let all thy faculties all thy attributes and operations spread themselues as blooming Vines round about my heart my braine my tongue that the same may become as the pen of a ready writer to sound out and resound his most puissant power Others according to the altitude of his iudgements he cutteth off by vntimely death but me he spares aliue as a monument of his liuing mercy O what had become of me if thou haddest cited mee likewise at that horrible houre before thy tribunall throne of Iustice O my Sauiour I thanke thee for thy peerlesse patience I praise thee though basely and barely in respect of thy benefits I adore thee I honour thee I humble my selfe before thee all the dayes of my life I returne I repaire vnto thee not haltingly not hollowly but holily I vvould I could say vvholy all the dayes of my life O giue me grace help my weaknesse heale mine vnbeliefe LINEAMENT XVI 1 The Conclusion of this present Circle consecrated by the Authour to his Wiues memory 2 The Application of her memorable death 3 The Authours Apologie against the Spirit of Detraction on the beâ—aâ—se of this present Circle where his Wiues memory is saluted with a Christian Farewell INgenuous Reader hitherto after the example of Antimachus who composed a Booke in the commendations of his wife Lydia haue I labored to eternize my deere wiues memory to the end entent that when the Spirit of ' Detraction as the Sorcerers rod was swallowed vp by Aarons rod is consumed to nothing and vvhen his lying mates doe dye and lie ingloriously in rotten earth the vvorld shall finde that shee liues for euer among the liuing inuita inuidia in despite of enuie that shee flourisheth like a Palme tree which the more it is suppressed the more returneth vpwards consonant to that of the Wise-man The memoriall of the iust shall be blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot Her memorable end anatomized and embalmed in this my bookish coffin shall yeeld odoriferous perfumes of her milde meeke and modest life to the sence-pleasing comfort of the elected innocent And that I may record the memory of her end Allegorically with the Poet Etumulo viâ—lae fortunat à que fauillâ Nascentur cippusque leuis sua contâ—get ossa Out of her graue fine Violets shall bloome And a light stone shall her sweet bones entombe Thus out of my miseries as out of the ashes of a burnt Phoenix is built a beacon of liuing miracles vvhich I humbly pray his heauenly Highnesse among other suppliants of his that they may effect in me what a more radiant light effected in Saint Paul namely the illumination of a darke conscience For vvhen my body like a bowle was carryed about vvith the bias of concupiscence my soule rockt a sleep in the cradle of worldly securitie by Sathans inchanting lullabies then my Lord that saw me so misse-led like vnto Salomons foole laughing when indeed I had more cause to weepe then my louing Lord I say tooke compassion on my foolish fals and gaue me a sound pinch or prick in the flesh that started and stirred vp all my reasonable faculties to consider more iudiciously in what a case I stood both body and soule What better vse of this temptation can I produce then that thy death deere wife like Elishaes bones which reuiued a dead corse hath vvrought a double miracle the one in thy translation the other in my
increaseth in a house and there-hence vvould breake into the next house and at last into the whole towne vnlesse at the first inflaming it be quencht with milke so the Spirit of Detraction being suffered to creepe into an honest mans house like Aesops vnthankfull Snake which the innocent husbandman saued from the chilling colde and there by negligence permitted to infect some of the household will at length not onely enuenome the head of the Family himselfe but also empoyson the vvhole neighbourhood except at the first his fiery force be extinguished with the milke of Taciturnitie and Patience Of this kinde of milke among other ingredients is that Oyntment made which the Apostle mentioned ye haue an oyntment of him that is holy ye know all things Though Truth hath taken off this false vizard yet vvee must apply the fruits of Truth for his further condemnation and that other wicked Spirits may likewise be kept backe from planting themselues in the little world With Taciturnitie the Spirit of Detraction is choakt with Patience the Detracted conquereth the Detractour vincit qui patitur In old time this kinde of Spirit vvas coniured vp by vnhallowed holy vvater by massemonging miracles now our Countrey-men rayse him vp by pots of good liquour and pipes of Tobacco therewith both day and night profaining their bodies which rather they ought to purifie vvith mortification as the Temples of the Holy Ghost for wanton flesh and bloud cannot inherit heauen In old time his malice was sometimes allayed by simplicitie and superstitious singlenesse of minde now hee can neuer be put downe and packt into hell without Taciturnitie and Patience both which if thou who readest this Circle dost obtaine at thy heauenly Fathers hand thou needest not doubt of thy soules saluation nor of silent sobrietie LINEAMENT III. 1 The discription of Taciturnitie 2 That the nature and qualitie of a man may be discerned by speach or writing 3 That wise men in priuate may descant of their neighbours faults so that the same tend to edification ALbeit that Taciturnitie be a kinde of milke farre more delicious then the Paracâ—lsians lac virginis or false Mahemets heauenly iunkets hard to come by knowne but of very few and those sons of Art vvhose chiefe Aphorisme is to keepe close their soueraigne receipts from vicious persons I will notwithstanding aduenture to disclose vvhat it is borrowing the discription thereof out of Monsieur du Chesue his Portraict de la sancte Taciturnity is to heare and premeditate a thing well and long to be briefe and short in his answeres that is to speake little or nothing Taciturnite est bien longuement oscouter premediter estre briese court on ses responses ascauoir dire peu ou rien This rare medicine makes the Patient which takes it to carry his mouth in his heart whereas Detraction causeth men to beare their hearts in their mouthes to deliuer dregs with drinke and to shoot their foolish boltes before that discretion wils them Which moued a certaine wise man that on a time vvas askt by his Prince at a banquet why hee alone sate still like a foole without parleying thus pithily to answeare A foole be it spoken vnder your Matesties correction can hardly hold his peace at a banquet for as Salomon saith the foole putteth forth all his spirit but a wise man deferreth it afterwards O diuine vertue O discreet Taciturnitie which resemblest the patient Deitie vvhich repellest hunger and thirst which neuer renderest griefe blame nor shame Surely the best coniecture vvhich may be made of mens inclinations is by speach or writing Loquere vt te videam speake that I may know thee quoth Socrates to a nouice of his as for example if thou hearest one discourse immoderately of faire women fine apparrell of hauking hunting and gaming or if thou hearest him vaunt ouer-gloriously of his owne vvorth or speaking in print in inck-horne termes thundring out sesquipedales and hornificabustulated metaphors verborum bullas ampullas wordes of his owne bubled or botled stampe or if thou seest him scribble disioynted phrases and lame Hyperboles then note him for a vaine-glorious fellow a phantasticall Parrot a golden Asse led too much with the imaginatiue facultie If his common talke be of law cases of lying Chronicles of old wiues fables or if he rips vp pedegrees repeating his owne or his Kinsmans genealogy to Cadwalader to Brutus to Saturne to Noah in all companies and at all times of honest mirth obserue him for an excellent memorie and vvithall for a notable foole If he waighs his vvords by the ounce if hee speakes seldome or not before a question be asked him and if he regardeth circumstances as the dignitie of the person vvith whom he talkes the place the time the nature of the hearers and the matter of speach alwayes vsing Gods name and authoritie vvith submissiue reuerence knowing that his omnipotent Maiesty heareth euery vvord hee speakes then marke him for a man of vnderstanding Hee that vvill learne to speake must first learne to be silent for as the Italian Prouerbe teacheth l'huomo parlando poco e ' annumerato fra i sauij The man vvhich speakes little is accounted among the vvise And as the French-man saith les foullies plus courtes sont les meilleures the briefest sheetes are the best Be a man neuer so vvitty yet if hee parleyes much his tongue cannot chuse but erre and trip in some principall points which as another Italiaen vvrites vvill trouble the stomacke more then ten graines of Antimoniâ— or Stibium Conturbano piu lo stomacho que farebbonâ—â—â—eci grani de Antimonio So that one vvord out of square may blemish a mans whole reputation and cause Zoylists to descant and sit vpon him perhaps vvhile hee liues Neyther can I excuse the wisest Clerkes that they likewise be not sometimes subiect vnto the spirit of Detraction as that Learned Lord demonstrates Men though otherwise graue and learned may erre eyther by mistaking principles or giuing too light eare vnto false informations which are rightly termed the spectacles of Errour for God onely searcheth the heart and raines But what censure will their owne inckpot Senate yeeld of such iesting and Iybing nicking and nipping Paedantes vvhich cannot bridle their vvide mouth'd hackneys namely that such persons be but parliamenting Parasites Pungitopian peeuish Momes ridiculous Readers Bacchanalian Parolistes super-ingenious Iayes superficiall flaunting fooles letting their tongues runne before their wits without rime or reason without matter or methode for as the Wise-man writeth In many words there cannot want iniquitie Notwithstanding all this I am not so seuere a Cynicke neque mihi cornea sibra est nor are my heart-stings so horny and hard-laced as to banish all manner of delightfull discourses to deceiue away the time vvithall for I graunt that a friend an alter ego may vvithout impeachment of Detraction or doubt of Libelling vnlocke the cabinet of
closest counsels and secretly conferre vvith his friend about those matters vvhich to report openly vvere flat against the rules of Christian Charitie or Ciuill modestie Yea such is the sugred torture the sweet tormenting force the naturall influence of true Loue that the Husband cannot conceale from his vertuous Wife nor the wife from the vertuous Husband vvhat nouelties or rumors runne reuell and range abroad in their neighbourhood According to vvhich agrees that Italian saying Ilcaldo del letto dilegua souuente il ghiaccio della taciturnita the heate of the bed thawes oftentimes the ice of secrecie or Taciturnitie To conclude vvith this indented couenant I approue the secret scanning of other mens actions among vvise friends prouided that the same may redound to their mutuall example that it may serue them for a president or booke-case for the soules edifying and afterwards that such speaches lye priuily entombed within the coffin of their hearts LINEAMENT IIII. 1 That Patience is policie in Detractions 2 An exhortation to patience 3 An obiection of the Detracted 4 A confutation HE that is detracted can neuer anger his Detractour more then when he holds his peace with patience and answeres not againe his slanderous speeches Time weares out the greatest scandall Therefore wise politickes haue patiently dissembled backbitings making as though they heard them not For euen as fire vnder the ashes consumes away but being stirred it kindles and may doe harme as well as good so let the man vvhich is deepely and without cause back-bited by the spirit of Detraction and his lying crew take open notice and noyse abroad the vndeserued slander it may turne to his discredit as well as to his credit by reason that mens natures are so corrupt suspitious and guiltie in themselues that they will easily iudge the worst and imagine all others to be like vnto themselues but in processe of time they will be wearie of one mans obiect and therefore when other calumniations come in place the former are forgotten and as fire couered with ashes lie quite extinguished If an Asse or Colt kicke thee wilt thou recalcitrate and spurne him againe Or if another doth torment thee wilt thou torment thy selfe The remembrance of iniuries hurts a man more then the receiuing of iniuries Therefore let not the Sunne goe downe vpon thine impatience And though thou sufferest Sathan to looke in at the key-hole of thy heart yet keepe him out from lodging there Let vs then beare with mens infirmities if they be not too outragious let vs blesse them that curse vs and desire GOD to conuert their enmitie into amitie I say let vs endeauour to conuert them by conuerting their enmitie into a Chrisitan-like vse By this meanes we shal worke miracles and cause the vnbelieueds hardned heart to relent and receiue remorce in conscience A Spanish homilist relates out of another Authour whom he termes el gran Cassiano a notable example tending to this purpose An honest Hermite on a time being iniuried by an Infidell with this exprobration and blasphemous detraction against his Christian profession Que milagros extraordinaâ—ios hize esse tu Christo en el mundo What extraordinarie miracles did this thy Christ so in the world he answered no es harto milagro que tus blasfemias è iniurias no me offendan ni me alboreten tus amâ—naeas Is not this a sufficient miracle of his that thy blasphemies and iniurics doe not offend mee nor thy threatnings moue mee The vtility vvhich we get by meditating on our Sauiour Christ is so admirable that the remembrance of his miraculous patience enduce vs to tolerate with humility the infirmities of our fleshly brethren Wherefore let vs stop our itching eares from these Detractions euen at the first bound before they be throughly ingraffed in our hearts For as there would be no theeues if there vvere no receiuers so there would not be halfe so many chattering mouthcs to detract if there were not so many charmed eares to soke and suck them in But notwithstanding these pareneticall caueats of mine thou stumblest againe on the plaine exclaiming that it is impossible for flesh and bloud to endure such scandalous detractions Thou canst not tarrie the Lords leasure The clouds hide him that he cannot see he walketh in the circle of heauen O crazed soule vvhy deprauest thou his eternall knowledge If thou be railed vpon for the name of Christ blessed art thou for the time is come that punishment must begin at the house of God If thou sufferest detractions by reason of worldly crosses ' thou art worse then mad if thou settest those things by thy heart vvhich thou oughtest rather to set by thy heeles Thou art not thine owne man nor at liberty if thou makest such reckoning of transitorie accidents here on earth It is no meruaile that the dogges of this vvorld doe barke at thee for what are we in it but strangers and Pilgrimes expecting daily to be sent for Seges altera in herba est Here we haue no continuing â—itie but we looke for one to come We looke for an euerlasting Haruest for an heauenly Ierusalem the foundations of whose walls are garnished with precious stones whose gates are pearles whose street is pure gold as shining glasse which hath no neede of the Sunne neither of the Moone to shine in it for the greater light extinguisheth the lesser the glory of God for euer lightens it farre brighter then a thousand Sunnes a thousand Moones Into which euerlasting Citie no malicious Detractour no lier no impatient spirit nor any other vncleane thing shall enter LINEAMENT V. 1 That the Spirit of Detraction begins to shrinke through the influence of Taciturnitie and Patience 2 The Spirit of Detraction conuicted for broaching out questions of Princes Soueraignties 3 That priuate persons ought not to dispute of their Prince his dealings SEe how the Spirit of Detraction begins to shrinke and to sound a retraict like Socrates his scolding Wife now that the vertues of Taciturnitie and Patience doe barre thy graue mouth from answere letting his mallice to haue the last word See how hee stands mute shaking and quaking at the glimpse of these glorious Gifts His lightning is vanished into smoke his slanders on a sodaine slackned To detract from Iehouahs name vvith vaine swearing or from his workes with mens poysoned paradoxes he confesseth it Blasphemie worthy of his bottomlesse pit No misfortune can happen without our Creatours prouidence nor one haire from our heads without his predestination The Starres thou alone doest stint most mightie God euen by Sathans owne confession the meteours thou alone doest sway in ordering their effects as it pleaseth thy secret wisedome When thou sendest out thy thunder and lightning as harbingers of thy power who can controule thee When thou takest a prey who can enforce thee to restore it who shall say vnto thee why didst thou thus Where are yee
Wizards now with your witlesse wonders while yee auerre some of your Constellations and Meteours to be kinde vnto vs and some vnkinde yee open your mouthes against heauen it selfe according to that of Origen Dum alij stellas beneficas faciunt alij maleficas os suum in coelum aperiunt For all this our spitefull Spirit houers in the Aire ouer the heads of our malecontents and as yet will not descend into his darke home pretending himselfe priuiledged by the Diuels sanctuarie vntill the great Day to tempt the flexible soules of flesh and bloud True Sathan true thou art licensed I grant to peruert our faith for a vvhile but not to subuert the same for euer Thy peruerting is but momentanie as a corrosiue to conuert and to cure the dead rankled flesh But if this seducing Serpent persist to eate into the bone resist his biting bitternesse yee seruants of the Highest resist his power though his words seeme coloured and couered with the purest gold of Ophir though he come disguised vnto you like Ieroboams wife to entrap you by reason of your blindnesse If he insinuates into you slanderous suggestions concerning your Prince his soueraigntie aduising you to vent them out at your mouthes least wanting vent they burst your straight-laced hearts like vnto the embotteled Aire coniure him in your Sauiours name and boldly say vnto him Auoid Sathan We must not raile at our Superiours for there is no power but of God the powers that be are ordayned of God Cursed be he which curseth the Lords annoynted Cursed be hee which detracteth from Gods Lientenant But Mariana and his detracting Iesuites doe laugh at these positions It is lawfull say they to curse and curbe our Princes if priuate mens acts be warranted by publicke iudgement that is if Ipse dixit my Lord the Pope that cannot erre doe locke them out of the doores of heauen O heathenish infidelitie Laugh on yee Kingkillars laugh on for a little while in this earthly world and yee shall surely weepe in the world to come Dauids heart smote within him because hee cut but the lap of King Sauls garment And yet our mortified Schoolemen our Ghostly Romish Fathers make no conscience to cut off the heads of our annointed Kings to compare these Regicides with renowmed Iudith If reucrent Bede were liuing in these dayes how deadly would hee defie their profane deedes separating himselfe from their Communion This action of Dauid quoth this honest Clerke doth morally instruct vs that wee must not smite our Princes though they wrong vs with the sword of our lips that wee must not in detracting-wise aduenture to teare the hemme of their superfluous deedes If we approue not the holinesse of their liues let vs applaud the holinesse of their vnctions But in my iudgement such questions of Princes Scepters ought not to be disputed nor called into controuersie no more then the Eternall purpose of God which is inscrutable incomprehensible by mortall men Chiefly we of the Reformed Church to whom God hath sent an vnparalel'd Prince ought not once to conceiue amisse of his Royall purpose Or if it otherwise chance must not we brooke his spots with the like patience as we brooke an vnseasonable showre of raine a storme or an abortiue birth The dishonourable things which a Prince doth must be esteemed honourable or else obserued but with halfe an eye If we had any iust cause of such complaints we ought rather to haue recourse to lacobs ladder to the Spirit of Prayer and so by repentance to rectifie our depraued wills that God may take away his scourge according to that Schoole-mans counsell Tollenda est culpa vt cesset Tyrannorum plaga In a peaceable Common-wealth to set out problemes of this muddie nature argues no profound policie specially it becomes not meane Ministers or vtopian Chymerizing Schollers to busie their braines with Princes matters whose eares and hands are stretcht out at the longest size Auriculas Asini Mida Rex habet An nescis longas Regibus esse manus In this case as in many other Theodore Beza ought to be highly magnified for that being seriously consulted by some seditious Sectaries whether inferiour Officers might not lawfully raise Armes against their Prince that violates his Oath made vnto his Subiects that infringeth their liberties immunities that turnes Tyrant vnto them hee teturned this circumspect demur vnto them We must demur vpon this point not onely because it is dangerous specially in this age to lay open such a window but also because that we may not determine the state of this question simply as you propose it but herein we must consider many waighty circumstances And therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we deferre our full answere vnto your demand at this instant But this graue answere suffiseth not the spirit of ' Detraction He broacheth it further what if such things come to passe vvhat if the Prince becomes an Apostate Which is as much to say what if Atlas his shoulders should waxe weary of supporting the Skye Capiâ—mis alaudas Then wee shall haue our labour for our paines O vanitie of vanities Doth our Heauenly Father for his Sonnes Righteousnesse deliuer priuate persons from Sathans slauery and shall wee distrust his diuine prouidence that hee will not defend his Church both from Sathan and all his Instruments visible and inuisible Or if our sinnes be so grieuous in his sight that his wisedome iudgeth it expedient to chastice our wanton wils to season our luxurious natures with sowre sauce and by tribulations to prepare roome for the Holy Ghost in the Temple of our Soules shall wee grudge or grieue at his discreet corrections Is it not his owne saying that through the bryars of troubles vvee must passe into his heauenly world Let vs therfore content our selues with sober knowledge and not cauell and trauell about such mutinous arguments which were they in actuall presence we may sooner wish to auoid then salue it any other way but by teares and prayers Man proposeth but God disposeth He euen he it is that treades and tramples downe all tyrannies that ordereth them for his own glory he that abridged Queene Maries life for the propagation of his Gospell that sithence confounded so many attempts of Iesuites Traitors and that now of late sodainely and miraculously discouered the transcendent Pouder-plor no doubt but hee will still continue his care ouer vs in the midst of our worldly waues in the heate of our worldly warfare Amen LINEAMENT VI. 1 The Authours scope in this subsequent discourse 2 The Spirit of Detraction conuicted in Protestants for exasperating of Puritanes in their peruerse humours 3 The Spirit of Detraction conuicted in Puritanes for their obstinacie against our Ecclesiasticall Canons IN the former Circles I haue coniured and conuicted the Spirit of Detraction for the breach of the third commandement thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine
hath appointed to be the head of your Corporation Whether they be Iewes or Gentiles Scottish Walsh or Irish bond or free so that they concurre with you in the same Religion see that yee loue them as your selues and let not the Diuell separate those whom God hath ioyned together Perhaps the Idiome of their speech their thicke pronounciation displeaseth your delicate cares because like Ephramites they cannot so distinctly vtter your filed shibboleth because they cannot runne away with their words so glibâ— so smooth nor so elegantly as your selues After this manner did the Athenians inuaigh against Anacharsis that famous Sâ—ythian but what answere did hee retort them Speeches ought not to be termed bad while they comprehended good counsels while honest deeds accompanied their words This also the Apostle corroborates requiring Preachers not to come with excellency of words to shew the testimony of God vnto the people And this hee proues by a diuine reason intimating that the word of God consisteth not in the enticing words of mens wisedâ—me but in the euidence of the spirit and of power But these scruples are too triuiall for men of vnderstanding Away then with such idle phantasies Away with such Panick peeuish doubts Blesse we the Authour of our Vnion which hath incorporated two Christian Kingdomes constituting an eternall league of amitie betwixt vs by his own personall presence by the Maiestie of his birth so that wee may boldly bid S. George S. Andrew S. Dauid S. ' Patricke to auaunt Auaunt Adieu ye sinnefull Saints and in their stead come come thou the onely true and sacred Saint Lord Iesus to whom all other Saints doe crowch and kneele for mercy Our Cambrian cause comes next For the same reason embrace our plaine societie speake well of vs the poore remnants of the ancient Britaines and let not the Prophecies of our Bardhs dismay your generous mindes that we one day shal Lord it in Troy-nouant measuring your silken Stuffes vpon our warlike ' Pikes that we shall worke our full reuenge for that dismall and bloudy long-kniu'd day These Prophecies are already expired but in a mysticall manner Haue not diuers of our Nation beene elected Mayors in your chiefe Cities and so triumphed for their due deserts I will not say how Austen the Monk subiected your Ancestours to the Romisâ— yoake how Swaine with his Danes and William with his Normanes swayed ouer your persons goods and lands how your owne members haue beene torne among your selues through ciuil discord when York and Lancaster set vp their flags of red and white Roses Ambo pares rosulas pila minantia pilis Though these misfortunes of yours might well satisfie a reuengefull spirit yet will not I insist on such cruell Augurismes but rather reioyce that vnder the same Prince vnder the same Lawes the same Liberties wee ioyne together in our spirituall offices I reioyce that the memoriall of Offaes Ditch is extinguished with loue and Charitie that our greene Leekes sometimes offensiue to your daintie nostrils are now tempred with your fragrant Roses that like the Gibeonites we are vnited and graffed into Israel God giue vs grace to dwell together without enuy without Detractions LINEAMENT VIII 1 The Spirit of Detraction conuicted in Aduocates and Counsellours at Law for putting on a good face on bad causes 2 The Authours resolution on the behalfe of honest Lawyers IT is no small slander in our Christian Corporation when our Aduocates and Counsellours at Law for the greedinesse of a little worldly mucke doe put their tongues to sale and polish their wits purposely to colour a foule cause with faire speaches to make that seeme tolerable before the Tribunall seate of Iustice which they in their Consciences know to be intolerable This in very deed is a scandall to the Weale-publike to the Spirit of God which through the Prophets mouth thundred out this terrible curse against such lewde practisers Cursed be yee which speake good of euill and euill of good This kinde of dealing is likewise rebuked by the Wiseman Hee that iustifieth the wicked and hee that condemneth the iust they both are abhominable vnto God For certainely were it not that these Instruments of Sathan did patronize our enuious aduersaries by backing them in their base proiects they durst not beard the Sonnes of Iustice so long as they doeâ—nay were it not that they so boldly bolster and beare out ill matters the reuerend Iudges of this Land need not lose halfe so many nights of sleepe turmoyling their braines in the search of truth least they wrong the partie innocent Whereto I might adde how these wainescot Lawyers in concealing and couering the carriage of such lewde members doe aggrauate and augment the nature of their sinnes which otherwise through the prickles of flesh bloud through the smart of shame they would forgo submitting themselues to the rod of correction For there is no better remedie to kill sinne and cure the soule then to suffer the sinner to sustaine for his sinne some punishment by shame griefe or other meanes What auailes it me to gaine a world of wealth and within a short while after to leaue behind mee both my wealth and this world Better it is to sup a messe of pottage with securitie then to feede on the daintiest cates with hazard Admit that Clients load me with golden fees for setting out a brazen face on damned causes Admit that all my life time I haue glutted my gut vvith fruit of Paradise yet if I dare not appeare in the presence of God but am forced to hide my selfe as where can I hide my selfe from his All seeing Maiestie and to howle for very feare and anguish yee mountaines fall vpon me yee Rockes couer me what shall my fees and fruit then profit me what good shall I get by them vvhen Death dogges me at the heeles when my pulses shall faintly beat my sences faile and my eye-lids shut neuer more to open vntill they shall see the gates of new Ierusalem shut fast against their wretched Maister O remember this all yee that leane to Mammâ—n all yee that loue shadowes better then substance and falshood better then Truth For mine owne part though I am but young yet I haue obserued somewhat I know as many trickes and quillets to entangle men as another doth I know diuers meanes to circumuent them that happily thinke themselues as wise as my selfe like vnto that Italian which boasted he knew so many deuises to get money as there be dayes in the yeare but I protest before him that made me I would chuse to be murthered rather then to vse them in my greatest need Such is the resolution of my soule or as a friend of mine lately termed it the tendernesse of my Conscience that I fouly scorne to play the part of a mercenarie Mechaniâ—ke with my brother in Christ. I fouly scorne to nourish contentions for mine owne aduantage For how dare I claime my selfe to
whereto the neerer that they be the nobler is their birth as men newly borne and pertakers of loue charitie faith and of other spirituall ornaments that goe beyond all the symbolized ensignes of temporall Heralds Out of vvhich circumstances collect O Christian soule this one Embleme diuinely embellished The neerer to true Charitie The neerer to Nobilitie Howsoeuer these fly-blowes of the spirit of Detraction be allowed or disallowed to blazon armes it is the part of a Magistrate to beare a Lyons heart that he shrinke not in iust causes nor respect the magnificall thunders of the spirit of Detraction more then the prostrate petitions of the spirit of humilitie Be he Midas or be hee Codrus be hee noble or be hee base Iustice must take place Therefore the Poets record that Iustice hath neither father nor mother likewise they report that Iuno through her wealth Venus through her beautie Mars through his threats and Mercurie through his eloquence hauing all of them conspired against Iupiter and yet not able to thrust him out of heauen implied no other sence or morall thereby then that a man of vertue could by no meanes either for wealth beautie threates or eloquence be diuerted or turned aside from Iustice. It is the part of a Magistrate to vse that Royall vertue Magnanimitie for his chiefest support against detracting Hamans and deprauing Semeies and as a learned Bishop of Portugall describes a magnanimous man though he see all the world eagerly bent against him and though he see euery thing round about set on fire yet hee through an assured confidence will continue constant It is the part of a Magistrate to imitate that resolute Iudge in Henry the fourths time which feared not to commit into the Kings Bench victorious Henry Prince of Wales rather then those Officers of iniustice vvhom another King of England vpon his returne from outlandish Countries displaced from their high commands after their examinations by vertuous Earles or then these corrupt Iudges whom Cambyses caused to be flayed and their skinnes as monuments of terrour to be hanged vp in the fore-front of his Palace It is the part of a Magistrate to esteeme the vvindie detractions of licentious Libertines who with presumptuous language dare brute abroad that they can by their supposed familiaritie with noble personages vncommission or to vse their owne words vnsaddle any Iustice of his Iustice ship I say it is his part to esteeme such derogatorie speaches no otherwise then for brauadoes of a brided braine or bragging vaunts of vpstart groomes onely to daunt pusillanimous Meacocks vvhich neuer saw the Lyons in the Tower nor vnderstand the truescope at which the state of England aimes Euen as I neuer knew any man in all my life despised for his silence and sparing speach so likewise I neuer knew any man degraded of his authoritie for his zealous endeauours on the Kings behalfe Wherefore let this stand for a watch-word to our Countrey Iustices that they be not terrified from well-doing with the swaggering on-sets of craking Crocodiles Let them put on the armour of patience and the spirit of Detraction will in time burst asunder like the Babilonians God Let them but for a while stand still and these Thrasonicall Rhodomontes will voluntarily surrender vp the cudgels Their nature is to begin as men and to end as women to come in as thunder and to goe out as smoke to boast of loftie things at first and to faint at last vnder their owne burthen For truth is great and will preuaile Then feare not yee proud Hamans wrath for ye execute not the iudgements of man but of God as King Iehosaphat encouraged his Iudges Ye need not doubt of your Priace his countenance as long as ye walk vprightly and as long as Fame the worlds great Trumpetour sounds out that noble distick in your commendations Nec prece nec pretio nec pondere diuitis aurâ— Nec quicquam tumidis flectitur ille minis Nor with faire words nor with rich bribing gold They moued are nor yet with threatnings bold Wherein then can they harme you In vncharitable lectures in rayling in reuiling in reuealing their owne dregs and as the Apostle writes In foming out their owne shame like the raging waues of the sea Let this be the vpshot of all your thoughts as I said before that no man vvhatsoeuer can escape the tempests of detracting tongues It is an antient adage that a barking dogge seldome bites and that the deepest riuers runne with least noise vvhy will yee therefore doubt these clattering clappers Aboue all things I could wish that those whom the Kings Matestie by the recommendation of his graue Counsell golden mâ—uthed Nestors and sage Chrysostomes hath nominated to sit in the tribunall throne of Iustice that they behaue themselues with more ciuilitie in their ordinarie speaches towards the inferiour family of Christs Church not nick-naming the vilest wretch seeing that such deserue rather to be pitied or else punished after some other way Michaell the Archangell reuiled not the Diuell albeit that he was worthy of millions of curses and of a world of taunts If wee be Tyrants towards our inferiours what sauours ought wee to expect at the hands of our chiefe Superiour which regardeth an humble contrite minde more then all the sacrifices in the vvorld and vvhich confounds all haughty hot-spurres in their owne imaginations and vaine deuises To be short imprint yee this lesson firmely in your hearts Cum sueris Iudex miti sis corde memâ—nto Dicito quae possint dicta decereseneim Be milde and meeke in Iudgement seat And speake no words in Passions heat But as a graue and auntient Iudge Speake without wrath speake without grudge LINEAMENT X. 1 That a true Christian ought not to detract from the Iudges of his Countrey though they wrong him 2 That no mortall man liues exempted from man fold crosses 3 What vexations besall to Iudges themselues DEtract not from the Iudges of thy Countrey though they behaue themselues not so cleanly in their offices as they ought But perswade thy quiet conscience that the highest Iudge beholdeth their corruptions from his heauenly Pharos or Watch-towre of knowledge and that sometime or other vvhen it shall seeme best vnto his prouident Maiestie hee vvill eyther plague them by immediate iudgements from heauen or else hee will raise vp some sinister fortune here on earth in reuenge of their enormious liues for this is a principall maxime in Diuinitie that euery Creature is offended with vs when our Creator is offended vvith vs. Offenso Creatore offenditur omnis Creatura As long as thou sweepest and keepest thine owne closet neat and cleane and carriest thy conscience vvithout guilt or guile what matters it to thee how other men demeane themselues Cannot rich men weare what new-fangled apparrell best likes their franticke fancie thou must onely accompt for thine owne Bailiwick The number of the vniust haue euer exceeded the
taunt their partiall actions These Allegations I confesse are somewhat sensible yet neuerthelesse Leo non capit Muscam the Lion scornes the Flie with her silly spleene Men of reason must not altogether imitate Creatures without reason chiefly in matters of no import Sometimes wee must whether wee will or no gaze vpon a painted vvall as Paul termed Ananias Sometimes wee must play the Arichmeticians imploying the helpe of Ciphers to make vp our number Sometimes wee must dally with children to still them from whining and weeping And so sometimes must the wisest man conceale his wisedome he must change his speach as Dauid did before the King of Gath he must faigne himselfe mad he must scrabble on the doores and let his spettle fall downe vpon his beard Stultitiam simulare loco prudentia summa est Sometimes we must obey the importunitie of the time yet so that we commit not pernitious euill to the intent that good may ensue thereof Wee must seeme to yeeld at first in the lesser causes vnto this spirit of contradiction that men may yeeld to vs in matters of greater consequence As for example if thou goest about to conuert a Iew thou must not begin with detractions and inuectiues against Circumcision against his weake conscience for abstayning from Swines flesh or blacke Puddings If thou labourest to turne a Papist from his superstitious Heresies rebuke not his Sect for the Diuine vertue of continence for their vow of chastitie for the monasticall or single liues of Hermites Monkes Friers Nunnes and other religious votaries Oppose not thy speach against his abstinence from meates seeing hee that feedes onely on sallets rootes or fruit may be saued and iustified as well as he which onely eateth flesh or fish In fine crosse not his gored minde with carping at the signe of the Crosse or at any things indifferent while they redound not to deadly sinnes against his patient Maiestie Herein some Iesuites deserue to ride in the Chariot of Ouation of a little Triumph namely for their humiliation prudent care in wearing the robes and habites of the Pagan Priests of China whom they terme Bunzies without which no forraigner whatsoeuer might soiourne in that politique Countrey But vnder this venerable and vnsuspected habite Father Riceius and others may certainely reduce many of that populous Nation to the Christian religion as long as they seeke to edifie without idolatrie and not to intermeddle with points of state as they pretend in Europe In like manner thou that grieuest thy selfe for that thy fellowes in office doe hinder thy iust proceedings for countenancing litigious lewd liuers against thee if thou canst not otherwise then by passionate speaches redresse thy wrongs be sure not to gaine-say them in light or in indifferent causes In so doing thy very foes will admire thy patience and perhaps at length they will ioyne vvith thee to suppresse common vices which are such eye-sores vnto thy zealous conscience Doe not we daily see that the peeuishnesse of a few raw and vnexperienced Ministers doe scandalize the state wherein they liue minister an aduantage to the Enemie of insulting and also fall themselues into greater Labyrinthes then they are able to wind themselues out againe Their obstinate standing out against their Elders and Superiours for wearing of the Surplice the outward cognisance or badge of innocence to separate the milke-white Lambs from the rude rough and vnruly Goates what profit haue they reaped by these and such like refractarie murmurs None at all but confusion and opprobrious shame There is nothing more dangerous then to be selfe opinionated against the experimented rules of the Churches reuerend sheepheards vvhose graue and gray lockes haue wonne authentick authoritie and canonicall obedience to their constitutions customes and vvholesome documents There is nothing more discommodious then to build vpon a mans owne knowledge as vpon a Demonstration infallible and to gaine-say an humorous spirit in the time of his fit For these causes O thou whose conscience groanes vnder a Countries waight let thy vertue domineere ouer their luke-warme labours thy patience ouer their passions and thy taciturnitie ouer their Detractions that the world and common voyce may canonize thy well-doing and adiudge them thy inferiours in iustice though they be thine equals in office that whatsoeuer is vprightly done they may ascribe to thee and what is iniuriously done they may imputet their insolent contradictions Is it not then lawfull to beat and beare downe the spirit of Detraction with his owne enuenomed vveapons May not a man repell force with force words with words checks with checks chiding with chiding If they backbite cannot I returne the like It is impossible but that the mildest natured man should become somewhat impatient seeing himselfe punished with obloquies ignominies and reproaches without cause Immerito veniens pana dâ—lenda venit O sick soule how bitter are thy words more bitter then wormewood and gall Canst thou not for a while for a little while attend the Lords leasure Though Toades doe croake in Summer yet they will lie still and silent in the Winter Though these Rhodomontes doe crake this yeare they will be glad to liue at rest the next yeare For those slanders that are purchased for vertues sake can neuer last long or euer blemish a vertuous man nay rather they deserue the title of honour chiefly if they proceed from wicked mouthes Regium est male audire It is a Royall thing to be ill spoken of Howbeit I confesse it is burthensome to the conscience if the slander be deriued by vngodly occasions It is momentarie if it spring by casualtie But it is ioyous and welcome if it comes for Iustice sake All haile then O glorious slander right welcome be thy blazing blast vnto the sonnes of vertue Welcome be thy foot-steps vnto the threshold of Iustice. O necessarie curbe of correction which art purchased at the dearest price For what dearer price can there be then the losse of a good name That which fooles repute an infamie reckon thou for reputation for what nobler reputation can you reape then to resemble the Apostle Saint Paul who being slandred did neuerthelesse reioyce in the testimonie of his owne guiltlesse conscience Thy eares are vexed with the clacking noise of a tickling tongue And doe not often ringing of bels of passing bels sometimes disquiet that sence of thine Thy heart is wounded and stabd with a tormenting tongue But what wound what stab with steele the soule can kill such wounds such stabs can neuer harme but humble thee Marke how the proudest man aliue becomes humbled after that hee receiueth wounds The like benefit comes by Detraction By the stings thereof the haughtinesse of our natures is humbled By the venome thereof as by the speare of that warlike Heros which healed the selfe same wound it gaue our spirituall wounds are cured and abated Through the consideration of these Antidotes against Detractions temper the manifold
time of Luthers death 3 A note deliuered by the Authour touching the Diuels reall power Lineament VIII 1 That true miracles were but lent by the Lord to the Primitiue Church for confirmation of the Gospell which accompanied the said miracles 2 How in their stead false miracles crept into the Church with the Antichrist in the time of the great Apostasie 3 The Diuels Synode for employments of his hellish spirits 4 The Authours digression shewing that the Diuels shape was not reall but delusiue to deceiue the eye-sight 5 How men by his spirituall insinuations becâ—me his agents here on earth 6 The Diuels craft to continue men in their Detractions Lineament IX 1 What is the craft of our common Wizards 2 That Souldiours and men of courage haue beene daunted with disguâ—sed Angels 3 Examples of ordinary Witchcraft Sorceries and Coniurations Lineament X. An example translated out of Monsieur du Chesne his pourtait de la sante declaring how one Monsieur Poena a Phisition of Paris coniared two spirits out of a possessed mans body Lineament XI An excellent example of Conâ—uration translated out of Erasmus his Exorcisines fit to be obserued of our superstitious Detractors Lineament XII 1 That the Diuels common drâ—ft is spiritually to vndermine the will of man 2 That his scope and force is cousenage and deceit Lineament XIII Apborismes collected out of the first Fathers of the Primitiue Church concerning the Diuels power Lineament XIIII 1 The Authours Dehortation from such vaine detracting studies 2 The knowledge of Astrologie stinted and censured Lineament XV. 1 That the Authours meaning is not to denie the Diuels reall subsistence 2 His charitable application of the statute against Witchcraft made Anno primo Iacobi 3 That he onely denieth his reall power and his palpable force ouer any of Gods creatures 4 The vanity and fondnesse of Wizards 5 That the hand of God plagued Iob and other creatures of his 6 That good men neuer detract from Gods glory Lineament XVI The Spirit of Detraction punished by the immediate power of God proued by examples out of the Scripture The sixt Circle Lineament I. 1 THe spirit of Detractions pleas and allegations on the behalfe of his humouring and soothing men in their vanities 2 The said spirit sharply rebuked for his Equiuocation and dissimulation 3 The Authours purpose in this subsequent Circle Lineament II. 1 How the Spirit of Detraction goeth about to ouerthrow Predestination in attributing our misfortunes immediately to the Planets thunders lightnings or other naturall creatures where the Author excuseth himselfe for writing of such deepe mysteries 2 How God made the second causes and all other things in this world for mans sake Lineament III. The Spirit of Detraction conuâ—cted for measuring Gods prouidence by their owne humane prouidence Lineament IIII. 1 The Authors censure of Predestination 2 That all second causes doe worke their effects according to the first causes direction which is God 3 How God endowed some with free-will through grace to enable them vnto faith 4 The Spirit of Detraction conâ—â—cted for imputing the cause of mens damnation to Gods decree Lineament V. That God is not the Authour of Temptation but an Actor therein Lineament VI. 1 How God predestinated some to be saued 2 Why all men were not elected 3 That mens owne wils by Gods sufferance occasion their reprobation and harme 4 The Authors sentence concerning himselfe whether he be one of the elect 5 That Good and Euill cannot come without Gods consent Lineament VII 1 The causes why God ordained thunder and lightning 2 The naturall nutriments of lightning 3 Why thunder and lightning be most dangerous in Winter 4 Where they worke their operations more vehemently 5 An admonâ—tion to build low Lineament VIII 1 How God sends thunder and lightning eyther for his glory for mens triall or for their punishment 2 Examples as well moderne as auncient offorcible thunders and lightning Lineament IX 1 That they detract from the glorious Maiestie of God which attribute his thunders lightnings and other meteorly signes to the Diuell or his adherents 2 Proofes out of the word of God that God alone sendeth forth such terrible signe Lineament X. 1 Probable proofes out of Ciuill pollicy that God is iealoâ—s of his glory and glorious signes and therefore not probable that he would lend his reall power to the Diuell 2 Examples of worldly states which could not endure vsurpers of their transitory titles and prerogatiues 3 That God hates Coniurers Witches Antichristians and other Detractors and vsurpers worse then Atheists or ignorant Iâ—fidels Lineament XI 1 Wherefore God diuerteth his naturall creatures against mankinde 2 That all crosses misfortunes proceed only from God 3 That in any wise we must not delay repentance 4 An obiection against sodaine death by the spirit of Detraction out of the Letany with a confutation thereof Lineament XII 1 That we must not iudge by mens misfortunes or sodaine death that they be forsaken of God 2 Charitable censures which a good Christian may yeeld touching those that die sodainly 3 The Spirit of Detraction conuicted for censuring ouer-cruelly of the Authors wife who was sticken dead with lightning the third of Ianuary 1603. where her commendation and assumption are moralized Lineament XIII 1 The Authours gratulation for his late fortunate deliuerance 2 His description of the lightning tragedy the third day of Ianuary 1608. at what time God â—ooke away his wife 3 His description of other crosses at the very same time 4 How God fore-shewed by mysteries the said crosses before they hapned vnto the Authour wherein his censure of Dreames is interlaced 5 His description of his miraculous escape out of the Sea wherein he fell by force of a cruell tempest on a Christmasse day 1602. Lineament XIIII 1 The spirit of Detraction conuicted for censuring the Lords secret iudgements 2 The Authours imperfections acknowledged 3 His meditation on his late crosses Lineament XV. The Authours gratulatorie Prayer vnto the Lord for the aboue-said wonderous effects Lineament XVI 1 The Conclusion of this present Circle consecrated by the Authour to his Wiues memorie 2 The Application of her memorable death 3 The Authours Apologie against the Spirit of Detraction on the behalfe of this present Circle where his Wiues memorie is saluted with a Christian farewell The seauenth Circle Lincament I. 1 THat the spirit of Detraction can neuer annoy vs while the Maiestie of Iustice shines vpon vs. 2 The Authours supplication to the Lord Chancellour of England the Lord President of Wales and to all other his Maiesties Iudges of Record within this Monarchy of Great Britaine for the exâ—â—rping out of notorious blasphemies 3 The Spirit of Detractions craft in molesting his Maiesties inferiour Officers 4 His diabolicall craft in wronging of priuate persons 5 The Authours Conclusion to the aboue-said Lords for reformation of the said abuses Lineament II. 1 That after Controulement Instruction is necessarie for them that be possessed with
the Spirit of Detraction 2 That Taciturnitie and Patience doe coniure him downe into hell Lineament III. 1 The description of Taciturnitie 2 That the nature and qualitie of a man may be discerned by speach or writing 3 That wise men in priuate may descant of their neighbours faults so that the same tend to edification Lineament IIII. 1 That Patience is policie in Detractions 2 An exhortation to patience 3 An obiection of the Detracted 4 A confutation Lineament V. 1 That the Spirit of Detraction begins to shrinke through the influence of Taciturnitie and Patience 2 The Spirit of Detraction conuicted for broaching out questions of Princes Soueraignties 3 That priuate persons ought not to dispute of their Prince his dealings Lineament VI. 1 The Authours scope in this subsequent discourse 2 The Spirit of Detraction conuicted in Protestants for exasperating of Puritanes in their peruerse humours 3 The Spirit of Detraction conuicted in Puritanes for their obstinacie against our Ecclesiasticall Canons Lineament VII 1 The Spirit of Dâ—traction conuicted for repining at our Christian neighbours of Scotland 2 â—he said Spirit conuâ—cted for detracting from our Countrey-men of Wales Lineament VIII 1 The Spirit of Detraction conuicted in Aduocates and Counsellours at Law for putting on a goodface on bad causes 2 The Authours resolution on the behalfe of honest Lawyers Lineament IX 1 The Authours â—nuocation to the Deitie for pardoning the petulance of his spleene in this present Lineament 2 That Iudges and Executioners of iustice of all others are most wanâ— only detracted by our swaggering Libertines wherein their vanity is censured by the Authour and also their crâ—â—ing Gâ—â—ealogics are controuled 3 The cartage of Iudges towards such detracting Sycophants 4 An admonition to Iudges not to respect taunting tongues 5 Another admonition vnto them not to rayle and reuile at their inferiours Lineament X. 1 That a true Christian ought not to detract from the Iudges of his Countrey though they wrong 〈◊〉 2 That no mortall man liues exempted from manifold crosses 3 What vexations befall to Iudges themselues Lineament XI 1 The Reply of the Spirit of Detraction to the premisses 2 An Answere to the said Reply out of the Rules of Policie fit to be obserued of peeuish Preachers 3 The benefit that comes to a true Christian by detracting tongues where the Spirit of Detraction is conuicted with his owne force Lineament XII The spirit of Detraction conuicted for censuring men for their 1 Pouertie 2 Birth 3 Bodily imperfections Lineament XIII 1 The Spirit of Detraction conuicted for blabbing out tales concerning women credits 2 Wherefore it is not lawfull to speake abroad of womens causes Lineament XIIII 1 The reasons why men speake â—ll 〈◊〉 learned bookes 2 That superstitious persons cannot rightly conâ—ict the Spirit of detraction 3 That the true conuiction of the Spirit of Detraction consists in the mysteries of Gods word FINIS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â— 1. Cor. cap. 2. 1. Cor. cap. 13. Col. cap. 3. 1. Cor. 9. Persius Satyr 1. 2 2. Chron cap. 26. Esa. cap. 6. Iere. cap. 6. Aug. lib. 1. Trin. Ephe cap. 4. Psal 6. 4. Act. cap. 19. Platarch 1 2 3 4 Psal. 139. Psal. 104. 5 Jran l. 1. cap. 19 Psal. 104. Dionis Areop l. 1 de Hier. caelest cap. 1. Psal. 104. 1. Mat. cap. 28. 2 Exod. 3. Gen. 3. Ioh. 18. Cyprian in tract de simplicitate prâ—lator Iob. 11. 3 Exod. 33. 4 5 1 Ioh. 1. Col. 1. Esay 9. Exod. 12. Gen. 3. Ibid. 49. Deut. 18. Act. cap. 3. Esay 21. Psal. 118. Num. 21. Ioh. 3. Dan. 2. Esay 7. 2 Esay 53. 3 Esay 53. Ioh. 10. 10. Zaleucus Dan 9. 4. Esd. 7 Iustin. Martyr in Tryphon Esay 53. 4 Psal. 16. Psal. 23. 1. Cor. 15. Ephes. 1. Apoc. cap. 5. 5 1. Tim. 2. Act. 10. Apoc. 22. Orig. l. 1. contra Cels. Hier. in Ezâ— In the French Manuell King Iames in his Premonition Luke 1. King I am Ibid. Apoc. 19. Job 14. Iob. Chr. in Hom. 16. in Mat. 6 Heb. 1â— 1. Cor. cap. 15. Athanasius 2 Athenagoras in Apologia pro Christian. Psal. 45. Exod. 3. Ioh. 4. Exod. 19. Act. 2. Gen. 1. Mat. 3. 2 1 Apoc. 12. 2 2. Thes. 2. 3 Apoc. 11. Apoc. 7. 3 Mat. 28. 1. Ioh. 5. 4 Ephes. 4. Rom. 8. Esay 9. 5 Ephes. 4. Gal. 5. 1. Cor. 14. 6 7 Ignatius in Epist. ad Phiâ—ippenses 1 Esa. 40. Esa. ibid. Iob 11. Sapient cap. 3. Psal. 36. 2 Ionas 3. 3 Dan. 2. 4 Acts 17. Psal. 19. Exod. 33. 5 Eze. â— Apoc. 1. 1 Dan. 12. Apoc. 12. Rom. 1. 2 Esay 14. Esay 6. Eze. 10. Irenaeus l. 3. c. 11 3 Dan. 9. 2. Esd. 4. Tob. lib. 4 Hebr. 1. Mat. 26. Apoc. 4. 1 Tâ—rtul in libr. de Resur Carnis 2 3 4 5 Psal. Jerem. I 2. Pet. 2. Iob 4. 2. Pet. 2. Iud. 6. Ecclus. 10. Ephes. 6. 2 Rom. 7. Rom. 11. 3 Sanctiago sobre Euang. Ecclus. 25. 4 Titianus in Oration aduersus gent. 1 1. Cor. 12. 2 3 Num. 5. Esay 19. 2. Reg. 10. Holea 4. Rom. 10. 4 Virg. l. 1. Aencid 1 Hier. in Dialog contra Luciferia Theophil Antiochen lib. 2. ad Antolycum 2 Apoc. 11. Persius in Satyr 4. 3 The Earle of Northampton The Earle of Northampton 1 Tertullian in lib de Animá Tatian v in l. aduersus gentes 2 3 Tertul. in l. de Animá Cant 1. 4 Ioh. 18. Exod. 30. 1. Cor. cap. 3. 1. Cor. 1. 1 2. Cor. 14. 2 3 1 2 1. Cor. â— I 1 Rom. 11. 2 Ibid. 3 Ibid. Rom. 9. 2 2. Thess. 2. Apoc. 3 Apoc. 1. Ioh. 2. 1. Ioh. 2. 2. Thes. 2. 1 a Cantic 2. b Bernard super Cantic Christ is the Rocke his wounds the holes and the faithfull soule the Doue according to that Beye simple as Doues Num 21. Ioh. 3. 2 Rom. 13. Ambros. in Oration ad Mediolanens 3 Arist in Categor de quantitate 1 2 3 4 5 6 Iuuenal in Satyr Drayton in Epist Heroic 7 Job 38. 1. Reg. 18. 1 2 Commin l. 5. c. 5 1. Tim. 5. 1 2 3 Persius in Sat. 4. 4 Horat. 5 1. Cor. 11. 1 Persius in Sat. 5. Plato Dialog 7. de legib Psam Persius Sat. 1. Commin l. 5. c. 5 2 Tacitus lib. 1. Annal. 3 1 Horat in Epist. 2. Cor. 11. Iob 33. Horat. in Epist. Ariosto Bâ—rnard in Serm Rom. 1. 1 1 2 1 2 Pauper Henric ' 3 Ecclesiast 27. 4 Cato Ecclesiast â— Ephes. 5. 1 Persius in Saâ— 1. 2 3 4 1 2 Obiectio Solutio 1 Cassiodor lib. 8. Epist. 18. Thucid. lib. 3. Histor. Boetius lib. 3. de consol Philosoph pros 6. 2 3 La Portract de la Sante Sect. 1. cap. 1. 1 2 Esay 53. 2. Cor. 12. 2. Cor. 10. 1 Cant. 1. Ibid. Esdâ— Apoc. Cant. 2. 2 Psal. 69. Act. â— 3 Aug. in psath 4 3 1 2 2. Chron. cap. 19. 2. Thess. cap. 2. Act. Apost cap. 19. Psal. 12. Psal. 14. Psal. 15. Psal. 17. Psal. 31. Psal. 37. Psal.
is whether that power of his be suppressed now that miracles are ceased For then God caused such strange actions to ensue whereby his Gospell might be confirmed Surely in my iudgement where the Gospell flourisheth there the Diuell dares not draw nigh and if he appeared according to the relation of such as wrote of his miracles he neuer appeared but vnto them who like vnto Caine vtterly dispaired of Gods grace to simple wretches and to grosse headed folkes His chiefest plot and practize is to vndermine the reasonable will and to seduce men from the operation of Goodnesse For this cause he is called the Accuser the Prince of the aire the Prince of this world that is the great spirituall Tempter of Mankind for whose sake this world and all the creatures therin were made LINEAMENT VII 1 How Popish Shaueling inuented the vse of common Coniurations and fictions in policy for the greater efficacie of their Jdols Holy water and Masse-moâ—ging wherein the weakenesse of their Holy water is sh wed 2 That they cained lies of purpose to confirme their sect namely in Luthers life time of Luthers death 3 A note deliuered by the Authour touching the Diuels reall power BVT here our Popish miraclemongers wil obiect that the Diuell cannot be coniured without Masses Holy water or charmes of a consecrated person The Diuell say they will not obey any of our Religion O generation of Vipers Is not the fulnesse of your sacriledge come in before the Lord Are not the Bulles of Basan so fat that they cannot hold out any longer Yea euer since Printing rose vp by the mouthes of babes and infants the Lord hath confounded your quirks quillets and transubstantiate quiddities Your fat lieth in the fire your Masses bring in but small masses of money Your Holy water is become dead like a stinking stange The glorious brightnesse of Christs comming the forerunning word of euerlasting life hath almost abated all your lying wonders your coniurations yea and your chiefe Patron of policie onely for the triall of the Elect ye are permitted dispensed and tollerated to dwell among vs as the Chanaanites and Philistines amidst the Israelites Ye are permitted as the ministers of Sathan to tempt Christs flocke that the great Iudge may commend their constancy Neuerthelesse I am sory I speake after flesh and bloud that your stinges according to our Acts of Parliament voce populi Christiani being voce Dei are not quite abolished This sting a graue and a great man of this Kingdome felt when he was seduced to send ouer Sea his sonne that lay possessed with the spirit of frenzie The spirit of falshood made him beleeue that holy water and masse-hearing would chase away the Diuell if it were a Diuell At Pont y Musson in Lorraine it was my hap to meete with the said diseased Gentleman in an English Priests house where he soiourned his friends expecting his deliuerance by the Spirit of illusion by vertue of the Masse and of the sanctified water But all the fat fell in the fire and he poore Gentleman left still vncured hauing formerly bin bound in a cradle besprinckled with holy water in time of Masse and so continued bound for three dayes together in the Church A most fearefull vsage able to driue a whole man out of his wits His friends hearing at length that the matter fell not out correspondent to their expectation they sent him to Padua for the tempering of his braine by the Phisitians of the body where I met him againe with his Curator who told me the whole businesse and circumstance and how the spirit would not be dislodged for all their holy water Now their generall opinion was that eyther it was a stubborne spirit vnremoueable by exorcismes or else the patient was sicke with extreme choler or melancholy Likewise to confirme their false doctrine with false miracles by the Diuels instinct they coined many fictions and such as the eares of the Elect would glow to heare These fopperies as treacherous spirits out of the woodden horse of Troy our subtle Sinons coniure vp for worldly respects and chiefly lest their Pontificiall purple robes or scarlet habites be altered to another colour of a baser graine Among many miracles in their lying Legends they recorde that a Religious woman hauing put a sanctified hoast into her hiue of Bees to make them fruitfull in steed of increase found a little Chappell of Hony and Waxe built in the hiue with doores and windowes with an Altar with a Steeple of Belles and also that the Bees had laid the hoast vpon the Altar with melodious noise flying round about it Thus the Diuell sometimes playeth the part of a Mountebanke venting out his counterfeite wares vnder the faire colour of sanctification some othertimes he seemes to raise vp himselfe really at sinfull mens commaunds and all for the establishment of the scarlet coloured beast the Pope and his Cardinals whose Kingdome he wots well cannot chuse but decline without such trash trickes and trumperies And for their concealements he beates this ambitious lesson into our Canonists heads that it is sacriledge to reason about the Popes deedes whose murthers say they are excused like Sampsons whose thefts like the Hebrewes whose adulteries like Iacobs After mens deathes the Diuell eyther by himselfe or by his agents wicked worldlings seemes to appeare vnder the person of a Samuel and will not be coniured back without such Popish bables thereby setling his Reprobates in their reprobate natures But most of all I cannot but wonder what phantasie possesseth men when they publish miraculous lies derogatory to their credites that be liuing and able in their liues time to retort the whetstone vpon them Surely I can deuise none other excuse on their behalfe then that such miracles of strange sights were inuented by them of Diuellish policy to make their profession famous among the simple and on the other side to withdraw the Protestant from the true worship of God As for example the Diuell forseeing that by Luthers preaching he was like to lose many of his guests euen in Luthers life time soborned one of his false Prophets to set out a booke in print of Luthers death The same very day when Luther died as this Homeromastix reported many that were possessed of Diuels in a towne of Brabant which lay distant from the place where hee was supposed to die aboue three hundred miles were suddenly deliuered and not a long time after repossessed againe And when it was demanded of the Diuels where they had beene They answered that by the appointment of their Prince they were called forth to Luthers Funcral Which likewise was proued to be true because a seruant of Luthers that was in his chamber when hee died opening the casement to take the ayre saw a great number of vgly Spirits hard by the window leaping and dancing Afterwards when Luthers body was laid in his graue presently there arose a tumultuous noise and terrible sound that
the earth seemed to moue The next night after they heard a louder noise then before about his Tombe For which cause in the morning they opened his Tombe where in stead of his corps they found but a foule fauour of brimstone The copie of which Pamphlet when Luther read he subscribed these wordes I am sory that God is iniuried by this fiction Otherwise I can but smile at the Diuels malice wherewith he and his complices the Papists pursue me It is strange to see with what impudence these iugling Priestes dare diuulge such a notorious lie of him whom his owne neighbors and Countreymen know better then they or any other forrainers This I can testifie that throughout all Germany where I trauelled his memory is blessed his birth-day solemnized and himselfe reputed for a second Elias But as I said before our Idolatrous Euchanters in policy inuented this fable for the glory of their Hierarchy which God peruert like Achitophels deuises Hereby we gather that most of our Countrations lying miracles and foolish fables were deriued from the Papists for the corrupting of the simpler sort and that of right Coni-catchers are termed Conturers and wizards witches Onely they differ in this that the Cont-catcher and Wizard receiue their knowledge by an infolded or implicite suggestion in their braines from the Diuell and that the Coniurer and Wtich reape with the Diuels sickle more openly yet both of them ioyne in the effect to deceiue and to make a prey of our vnderstanding But here I must tell you one thing worthy the obseruation that euen as the Papists will not see their mystical Antichrist though that which with-held his publique reuiling till this time be in a manner taken out of the way to wit the glory of the Romane Empire no more then the Iewes would see their Messias though likewise that which withheld his reuealing til his destinated time was taken out of the way to wit that the Scepter should not depart from Iuda nor a Law-giuer from betweene his loines vntill Shiloh came which was Christ so we oâ— the reformed Church besotted with childish credulity will not beleeue the truth though it be felt with handes as they say and shewed vs by demonstrations infallible that Coniurers and Wiches can act no miraculous matter of moment at all their chiefe Master himselfe being but a lier and impostor howsoeuer Frier Bacon with his brazen head which he purposed to set vp in Salisbury-plaine for the eighth wonder of the world and the Popish Idolaters with their Masse-monging and Holy water went currant for graund Coniurers in olde time Because they receiued not the loue of the truth that they might be saued therefore God sends them strong delusion that they should beleeue lies Wherefore let the faithfull accept this for a caueat that when the Diuell takes vpon him to become terrified with the besprinckling of Holy water with steele or with the thundring Bulles of a Masse-Priest he doth it onely of a politicke stratageme to confirme his adherents in such vaine fooleries after the example of Tomyris who fained her selfe with all her troupes to flie that thereby she might entangle Cirus and giue him the greater foile Whereto alludes that notable saying of our sage Solomon He walked among the Papists by childish and affraying terrours to mocke and accuse their childish errours Yea he walked among them the more familiarly vnder the bastard names of Larum Lemuâ—um Deorum Penatum Laruarum Dryadum c. outwardly seeming to care for their temporall profit when as in truth his purpose was inwardly to worke them harme in their soules and consciences that their wils and spirituall natures might be peruerted like vnto his LINEAMENT VIII 1 That true miracles were but lent by the Lord to the Primitiue Church for confirmation of the Gospell which accompanied the said miracles 2 How in their steed false miracles crept into the Church with the Antichrist in the time of the great Apostasie 3 The Diueli synode for employments of his hellâ—sh spirits 4 The Authours digression shewing that the Diuels shape was not reall but delusiâ—e to deceiue the eye sight 5 How men by his spirituall insinuations became his agents here on earth 6 The Diuels craft to continue men in their Dettactions MIracles were rife in the Apostles time at the first preaching of the Gospell yea and many yeares after euen as Reuelations were also common at the first promulging and publishing of Moses law But afterwards through mens curiosity arrogancy and negligence they ceased like as the vrime ceased for a long time after Iosuahs age The chiefe end of Miracles was lent by the Redeemer of the world to reconcile mens mindes vnto the puritie of the doctrine which at the same time he sent to beare them company Their end I say was that their energy and efficacy might moue mens steely hearts to relent and repent them of their abhominations which preuailed in all those whom his prouident Father had sealed vp to be saued from the beginning Whereby we may obserue that the vertue of true miracles sprang from the goodnesse of the doctrine which then the Lords great Ambassadour graâ—fed towards the posterities of the elect So that this godly doctrine separated such miracles from the Diuels deceits from natures operations and from mens inuentions Their mutuall concurrence confirmed the spectators in their resolution namely that their preaching and teaching proceeded from the glorious light Sithence which golden age of the Gospell it pleased the Lord according to his vnsearchable will and according to Saint Iohns and Saint Pauls prophesies to leaue his Church soiourning in the solitary wildernesse persecuted by the detracting Dragon to suffer his two witnesses the true records on earth of the lightsome word that was incarnate for our saluation to be mangled martyred and massacred in the Citie of the spirituall whore and so to permit a generall defection and departure from the faith at the entrie of the Antichrist into the World which continued well nigh eight hundred yeares and theÌ„ true doctrine failing true miracles failed Which when the Diuell noted he laid hold on that vile oportunity of Apostasie and generall defection of faith and in steed of those true miracles he hatched false miracles according to his owne naturall dispose lying wonders and brought in canonization of Saints whereof my selfe was an eye witnesse in Millaine in the yeare 1603. adoration of sinfull men masses for the dead marchandizes of humane soules Gods of golden beads of holy water of crucifixes and also old wiues tales whereof the Popish Legends are as full as euer Diomedes his stable was of prodigious dung Many miracles were fathered vpon giddy headed people in their death beds when good men through extremitie of torments haue spoken they knew not what They record that the Virgine Mary descended dow from heauen to giue S. Fulbecke her breasts to suck while he lay sicke Such another