Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	john_n	lord_n	sir_n	20,088	5	6.7459	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A15700	An armoure of proufe very profitable, as well for princes, noble men; and gentlemen, as all other in authoritie, shewing the firme fortresse of defence, and hauen of rest in these troublesome times and perilous dayes. Made by Iohn VVoolton minister of the Gospell.	Woolton, John, 1535?-1594.	1576 (1576)	STC 25974; ESTC S106615	49,980	114

¶ AN ARMOVRE of Proufe Very profitable as well for Princes noble men and gentlemen as all other in authoritie shewing the firme fortresse of defence and hauen of rest in these troublesome times and perilous dayes Made by Iohn VVoolton Minister of the Gospell ¶ IMPRINTED AT LONDON by Iohn Shepperde Anno. 1576. COR. VNVM VIA VNA ¶ To the right honorable Sir VVilliam Cicil Knight Lord Burleigh and Lord high Treasurer of England Iohn VVoolton wisheth the fauor of God continual health and prosperous selicitie THere is engraffed and deeply rooted in mans minde an error and false opinion whiche euen immediately after his dounefall did spring and shew it selfe out of originall sinne to iudge of Gods Prouidence according to wordly euents and if sometime hee see the better side and iuster cause oppressed fraudulently and tirarmously then he eyther denyeth altogither Gods care ouer mortal men or else doubteth of the equitie of the cause and giueth iudgemēt that those which are ouercome haue the weaker title and are cast away from God and that the conquerours and victors doe defende the sincere parte and better title and and are accepted of God And this thing commeth to passe especially in matters of religion where men according to the estate of kingdomes and inclination of the people do weigh and esteme the truth of the same I his greeuous error if it continue any space in mans brest it breedeth in some an Apostasle and vtter departing from God In othersome troublous motions and flitting mindes whiche in time do quenche in man all sense of godlynesse and at last carieth him headlong into a godlesse contempt of Religion or driueth him downeright into dreadfull desperation For mans minde which was created to searche out the truth and to ●ol●w● the same is not able to indure those conflictes and assaultes of a vexed mind and sorely I am of this opinion that the gnowings and frettings of the conscience which arise by meanes thereof are more dolorous than any torments whiche mans body may sustayne Pompeius Magnus ariuing at Mitelenen after that famous foughtē fielde of Pharsalie discourseth with Cratippus his whose race of life and maketh large mentiō of his aduerse fortune and lastly drowned in the gulfe of despaire viterly denyeth Goddes prouidence by cause in a iust and good quarrelf as himselfe thought God suffered him to fall And Demades that eloquente orator and graue Senator of Greece giuing as holesome counsaile in matters touching the commō wealth as eyther Themistoclēs Miltiades or Pericles was wōt to alledge for himselfe that frowarde fortune and vnhappie desteny did frustrate his deuises VVhiche voyce albeit euen then it escaped not iust reprehēsion of the wise yet it paynteth liuely vnto vs the ruine of the Attyke commō wealth the greate perilles and daungers in all cinill regiment and the declining of Empires and kingdomes VVe liue no doubt in the last times and old age of the world which is feeble and doing for by common eourse of nature after vigor and strength foloweth inclination and fayntnesse and tho end of things is always weake VVherein we see the rage of Sathan to spurre mens myndes to ward furie to stirre vp troubles cruell warres and all kind of calamities euery where and for that he knoweth the restitution of mankinde to approch and hys time short he omitteth nothing vnattempted to drawe great swarmes and companies of the worlde to forsake nuereligion and to runne into ignorance and blasphemy And that I may let passe those that vpon the coastes of Hungary depart frō vs to the Turke persuaded with wealth and prosperous successe of his wares VVhat Tragedies dothe the Diuell moue on each side of vs to terrifie men from folowing Christ his ensigne and from a free and liberall profession of his most sacred and c●ernall Gospell In Scoplande we haue heard of dayly slaughters and butchery of Christes children where it is now a common sleight to minister an Italian dramme vnto their Princes and trayt crously to murder the peeres and nobles of their land The dealings of the Duke of Alu● and his successor in the lowe countries are more lamentable where no lawes no faith no promises are kepte no antiquitie of noble families regarded no faithfull seruice to theyr Prince and countrie remembred no silence nor abiuring of ●rue religion accepted but Spanishe crueltie executed uppon all ages degrees and fexes without any consideration besides these no spoyle nor robberie of mens substaunes no extreame punishments nor torments no rasing of townes and Cities no adulterie nor filthy Sodomy can cōtent their monstrous and most vile natures and appetites All good natures tremble and quake at the reports of the French eruelty exceeding Phar●● and Nero in all rage and tirannie whose proceedings are such that we may gather that their determinate mindes and purposes are no●●t●eeasse vntill they haue the hart bloud of all those in whom any sparke or breath of Christian Religion at any tyme heretofore hath hath appeared and so driuing away the shining brightnesse of the Gospell to reduce the Romish Idoll and to exalt him in all Europe as the chiefe Monarche agayne For now they cloke not their malice with pretence of suppressing rebellious subiects but lynking vnto them the Spanish natiō do most euidētly professe them selues the sworne enimies of Christe his espouse and the chiefe defenders and Champions of Babylonish Idolatrie The puissance and greate mighte of that side theyr terrible executions and the froward euents of lawful and godly enterprises languisheth and wholly discourageth many men that heretofore haue giuen some countenance vnto the Gospell And no mortall wight were able to continue in so sharp and endlesse a battel firme and constant without an vndoubted assurance of Gods prouidence and fatherly care ouer them VVherefore godly men comfort themselues with a grounded faith being tossed too and fro in vehemente stormes and tempestes and do knowe that the sonne of God guideth the sterne of his shippe and as hee promised so hath he in deede exhibited his holy spirite by whome hee giueth vnto his children courage and strength to giue testimonie of the trueth without dred in the middle of all punishments and ●●rmēts Touching the fornamed Tirants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 me God hath giuen stout stomackes ●●●till 〈◊〉 greete victories whereby they are grow●h into a licetious boldnesse bending 〈…〉 ●●ght against Christ his Church wee 〈…〉 our selues that God wil withdrawe 〈…〉 his generall graces that he will depri●● them of all their of n●ments in body and mind that he wil leaue them vnto themselues as he forsooke P●mpey ●lcibiades Alexander and such like VVe haue an especiall example hereof in Valerianus the Emperour who in the beginning for his vpright iustice and valiant hart was deerely beloued of the Senate and common people but afterward setting himselfe against Gods Church became captiue vnto Sapores king of the Persians who vsed his head as a●ootostoole

come to me euen according to my hartes desire Which wordes whē that woithy Bishop heard he spake vnto his company and say●● Away hence sins with all speade God loueth not this house he hath no mansion here And see the sequele They were not gone farre frō that 〈◊〉 hifore the earth suddainely opened and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vp the man with all that eue● he had so that nothing was saued both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do 〈◊〉 are that God is not preseut where the 〈◊〉 was absent and 〈◊〉 cannot 〈◊〉 in firme 〈◊〉 where God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For Saint 〈◊〉 the Apostle sayth Ye haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on the 〈◊〉 and in wantonuesse you haue 〈◊〉 you● 〈◊〉 in a day of 〈◊〉 yt haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 killed the iusti 〈…〉 〈◊〉 you The 〈…〉 O Lord if I 〈◊〉 with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with thee of thy 〈…〉 the may of the 〈…〉 they in wealth that 〈…〉 hast ●●●●ted the 〈◊〉 they haue taken 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 in their mo●●● far 〈◊〉 their mints but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord pull them out like 〈◊〉 for the 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 them for the day of 〈◊〉 And 〈…〉 is greate diffedence in the days of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the iust● the ●●iust speaking after this manner For beholde the day conu●●th that shall burne as 〈◊〉 and all the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and all that do 〈◊〉 shall he 〈◊〉 and the day that 〈…〉 sayth the Lorde of hosts and shall leaue then● neyther oote neither braunche but vnto you that feare my name shall the sunne of righteousnesse arise and healthe shall be vnder hys wings and yee shall goe foorthe and growt vp as fat Calues Let no good man thereforestumble at the prosperitie of the vngodly let them not seeke to haue any part of the vnhappie portion of the wicked Sith that as Dauid writeth In the hande of the Lord there is a c●● and the wine is red it is full mixt and he powreth out of the same surely all the wicked of the earthe shall wring out and drinke the dr●gges thereof Nowe as some wicked and bloudy Tirants prosper and come vnto a quiet ende so some good Princes and magistrates are afflicted and cruelly murthered Good Ionathas is slaine of the Philistines Iehoas King of Iuda walking in the wayes of the Lord is trayterously inurthered by his owne seruants Iosias vnto whome no king of Iuda eyther before him or after him mighte be compared in sincerenesse of hart and holinesse of life was slayne by wicked Pharao Necho king of Egypt at Megiddo And if we consider our own stories wee shall reade of King Alu●●d who was indued with great knowledge in al learning as well prophane as deuine of feruente zeale and of a vertuous and godly life yet hee beeing oppressed with more number of enimies than any other did leade an vncertayne troublesome and vnquiet life and forsaken of his friends wandered in the wood countrey of Sommerset shire and had skant to liue withall King Iohn studying to represse the Popish Tyrannie in England and to reduce the true knowledge of God was poysoned by Simon a Monke of Swinsteed King Henry the sixt surnamed the Saint for that ther was in him all vertues and a speciall studie for the health of his soule the sauing wherof be esteemed to be the greatest wisedome and the losse thereof the extremest follie yet was he trayterously murthered in the Towre by Richard Duke of Glocester And euen nowe the most trayterous lamentable and cruell murder of many thousand of Christes mēbers in France aswell high and lowe men women and children doth preache vnto vs Gods wonderfull dispensation in punishing his Church Albeit the causes of these calamities are many yet I will not throughly prosecute them being not so pettinent to my purpose but will contente my selfe with that whiche seemeth to mee amongst the rest to bee moste comfortable namely that they are signes and tokens of immortalitie and of eternall felicitie For seeing God hathe promised to his children all good things and permitteth the vngodly to oppresse them notwithstanding he confirmeth by expert and euidente witnesse that hee alloweth and approueth Iohn Baptist Paule and suche like It consequently followeth another time and place to remayne when Iohn and Paule shall be comforted Herode and Nero punished according to the saying of Peter The tyme is come that iudgemente must begin at the house of god If it first begin at vs what shall the ende be of them whiche obey not the Gospel of God Gods chosen and electe children therefore are afflicted in this life by gods peculiar counsayle And againe the wicked seeme to be blessed in this world but the electe haue no portion in this worlde nor the reprobate in the world to come Yet doth not God alwayes suffer his children to grone vnder the yoke of affliction but comforteth and refresheth them as Bernard sayth God is angry indeede when he seemeth not to be angry and Chrisostome As golde reteyneth still his coulour and brightnesse both in water and fire but Hay and Strawe runne abroade in the water and are consumed with the fire Euen so fareth it with the godly and the vngodly for when the godly are in prosperitie they are as golde in the water in aduersitie they are more brighte and beautifull as golde in the fire And againe the wicked being in prosperitie are scattered abroade like water in aduersitie they perish as Hay in the fornace Now if God do any long space trie vs in the stormes of miserie calamitie whereas he is able euery moment to releeue vs yet doth it not before he perceiueth vs purified and prepared to repētance For as the goldsmith taketh not his golde out of the fornace before it be exactly tried clēsed frō the drosse so doth not god take his sernāts out of the fornace of afflictiōs before he seth thē clensed frō grose affectiōs and carnal appetites wholly bent to newnes holines of life If then Princes noble men do tast at any time of miseries and calamities they oughte patiently to suffer the same seeing that they are Gods chastisement and correction seruing to their better perfectiō And moreouer in the middle of their troubles they are taught by the examples of good and godly princes to flee vnto the liuing God by ardente inuocation prayer both for y there is no danger so greate out of the whiche God is not able to deliuer them And again no accombrance be it neuer so light smal out of the which they are able to wind themselues vnlesse God with a speciall care prouidence put too his helping hand It then the prince or magistrate his owne person be in danger of death through some greeuous ●●●hesse let him call to his remembrance the example of Ezechias let him settle his hope in God let him bewayle his sinnes with bitter teares God will sende some Esaias who shal administer vnto him comfort