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
as there be differences and degrees in sinnes wherein for the most part I shake hand with these Detractours so dare I partly aduenture to cleere my soule from one particular sinne like as Luther iustified himselfe from auarice that my nature euer abhorred iniustice or partialitie though I might haue hazarded the loues of my neerest kinsfolkes Let impious Ismael and enuious Haman whose words are swords combine together let them throw forth what Detractions they can like stumbling blockes in my way I passe not for them On the contrarie I will glorie with that Gentile in Tacitus Fulgorem bonorum à me nunquam praelatum excubias ac labores vt vnum ex militibus pro incolumitate Imperatoris malle That I neuer preferred bright shining goods but chose rather watchings and labours as one of the common souldiers for the Emperours safety and for the weaâ—â— of my Countrey Such disgracefull libelles spurging vp from the stemme of blasphemous Detraction were diuulged and dispersed abroad in all places farre and nigh VVhich when I had throughly ruminated and reuoâ—ued in my mind looking withal into the depth of their cankred corruptions how that our heauenly King is highly iniured thereby as also how that his Diuine titles are daily dishonoured despised and detracted with their wilfull wanton and vnwise speeches whereby that member or outward sheath wherein our thoughts are folded which should bee the faithfull Interpreter â—the soule Oraculum animae speculum mentis miraculum naturae is commonly peruerted from Christian puritie to wilfull blasphemie so that Nazianzens saying is verified in our age LinguaÌ„dimidiam humanorum vitiorum partem sibi vendâ—cat halfe the vices which we commit are committed by the tongue Nay our whole life is full of the tongues wickednesse Tota vita nostra linguae delictis est referta as Basil wrote At this prodigious degeneration my spirit seem'd to sparkle as a blazing starre within me portending miseries to such mischieuous wretches yea it burned as a blast of fire in the furnace of my bodie incensing the principall powers thereof as kindes of greene fewell ordained for this purpose to consume some of those saplesse shrubbes or at least as smoking firebrands to terrific children from playing too much with sacred mysteries from laughing like vnnaturall Cham at Noahs nakednesse from mocking at Elishaes reuerend head and to speake like a Poet from plucking ouerlong at Iupiters beard from polluting their fathers ashes These these motiues Right noble Lords enforced me to expose abroad mine vntimely Embrion not altogether shapt aswell as I intended nor yet growne to that maturitie as the Satyrist answeredin defence of Virgils Aeneads Vt ramale vetus vaegrandi subere coctum Like an old bough full ripe with barke But what perfect essence nature denies vnto it or what complete forme Art conceales from it I humbly craue that all may be construed in good part by your Honorsboundlesse bounties wherto as to a diuine Oracle or discreet Rhadamanthes I flie for verdict in the behalfe of this worthlesse worke which once againe I dedicate Dijs tutelaribus to your heroicall vertues eyther by them signed ominously with print of chalke or with coale or according to the Greeke custome with the blacke letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 destinating death to be censured worthy of immortalitie and of euerlasting Cedar or else to be cancelled in perpetuall obliuion and Cymmerian darkenesse To the Readers REaders whether ye be men or women kinde or curst friendly or frumping all is one to me I respect not your kinds kindred or kindnesse your kinds being but natures instruments for propagation of mankinde And for other respects which are worldly I force not at all for Truth is spirituall essentiall internall and cares not for outward formalities Onely I weigh your tongues the Detracting instruments of Sathan sor both your genders to the pretudice of your deere soules In your tongues I finde no more distinction or denomination of male and female then I finde of your soules which likewise are neâ—ther male nor female but al one all alike in both your sexes I finde this originall accident coincident aswell to tongues as soules that there be good Aesops tongues and euill Aesops tongues the good ordained to heauenly Hymmes to ioyfull Iubilees to Angelicall Alleluiahes the euill tongues to taunt to detract and with Iobs wife to curse God and die Ye daughters of Eue misconster not my simple speech I taxe not all your tongues in generall There are voices of Angels voices of Men and voices of Diuels The first are heauenly as I said before being sweet smelling sacrifices of Christian Quiristers or holy Oracles of the inward man The second earthly as sounding brasse or tinckling Cymbals The third hellish as the roaring of a rauening Lion The first I commend as the rare song of a blacke Swanne The second I meane to amend as the penitent crie of the prodigall childe The third and hellish voyce of the spirit of Detraction I commit as the Parisians Mattens or Scicilian Euen-song into the Dungeon of hell where is weeping and gnashing of teeth These diuersities of tongues and voyces sprang vp from the same tree of good and euill Out of the same Eue like Lycurgus his whelps or whelpish twinnes came Caine and Abell Vertuous Dames let it suffice that for your sakes I spare to play the Satyrist against the Detracting Niobes of this age Onely I controule them with a gentle checke and because you pleade in their excuse that they be the weaker vessels and not enabled with such a noble courage as the man therefore I giue them the milder bridle the golden snaffle Curteous Readers I speake not to you for they that be whole neede no Phisitians Captious Readers on you I call Behold here are bridling bits for your byting mouthes Readers yeeld to your Riders shew your selues pliable peaceable and ready to receiue conuenient chastisements Let not your customary hold of fâ—asting fellowship of giddy gossipping or of Tobacco taking with-hold your mindes from our Cursory Lectures Resist the Diuell and he will flie from you But I pray what phantasie drawes your wits astry â—ee sharpe tongued souldiers of the forlorne hope Yee that were wont to daunt your foes brauely in the field to conquere Kingdomes and beate downe the enemies of Christ in forraine soiles why become ye now-adaies so effeminate as to conuert your swords into words your powerfull prowesse into pratling parlance Why degenerate ye from your famous Auncestours Too true it is that ouer-much ease mars your generous spirits welfare makes you wanton and prouâ—nder prickes you forwards to turne deeds into Detractions and in stead of Christian resolution to wage warre with your tongues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to incline to swinish companying carousing and Tobacconizing where many foule faults flocke together and as the nature of sinne is to multiply according to our Sauiour Christs words where one wicked spirit is suffered to inhabite there he brings
peace or peaceable Abel the onely wisedome of all Diuine creatures descended downe from his Fathers bosome and was made flesh by the al-quickning breath of Gods owne essence co-operating in the Virgin Maries wombe the second Eue but refined and regenerated at Bethlehem the Citie of Dauid a poore Citie of Iewry in a vile beggarly stable where he suck't the dugges that rul'd the starres suxit vbera qui rexit sidera about that very time when all the world was chalked or rather charmed in the Circle of peace by vertue of Augustus Caesars soueraignty in token whereof the Romanes did shut Ianus his double porch Iani tanuam from whence the Moneth Ianuary is denominated which lay open before in time of open or ciuill warre While he liued on earth which as some write was three and thirty yeares he laboured like a woman with childe with our infirmities but after a Diuine maner He was ambitious but how Ambitious onely to aspire vp into the Theater of the Crosse. He was affected with concupiscence but with what concupiscence Not with sinfull but with celestiall concupiscence He was affected but not infected for he onely longed and lusted after mans saluation O Ierusalem how willingly would hee haue gathered together thy strayed young ones euen like a carefull henne hadst thou repented Hee was angry but how Not to reuenge for he requites good for euill and prayes for his very foes Onely hee was angry without sinne for zeale sake ad detestationem peccati non ad vindictam He was enuious but in what sort Not ex vitiata natura of corrupt nature but for conscience sake that the Diuels kingdome became daily augmented He was ignorant of some things for he knew not of the day of Doome but his ignorance was simple and not sinfull harmelesse and not erronious in desiring curiously to know those secrets which did not befit the Sonne of man to know He was troubled with feare in his agony but with what kinde of feare Not with feare of death satisfactory to repaire that breach betwixt the Angels and vs but with naturall feare which impaires the animal faculties according to the nature of mans sensitiue appetite which trembles at the sense of terrible torments In this maner did he take vpon him our infirmities not by way of inherent spotting but by way of necessary influence like vnto that Prince of Starres which pierceth and passeth into impure obiects and yet himselfe is not subiect vnto impurities Besides these burthensome infirmities of ours which he tooke vpon him in his loue and charity towards the sonnes of Adam let vs reuiew his painfull Passion Amidst the bryers and brambles of sorrowes he shewed himselfe as the Rose of patience he shined as a lightning Cynosure among the thankelesse sayling Iewes He carried our sorrowes sorrowes without number which our humane natures could neuer beare He suffered intolerable flouts intolerable torments intolerable death beyond all the degrees of comparison dura verba duriora verbera durissima fata No torments were like his torments for hee suffered for all our sinnes Whereunto I might adde the tendernesse softnesse and delicatenesse of his body which being materially formed onely of a pure Virgins nature without coniunction of the male substance could not but feele such tortures more grieuously and gripingly then any other What shall I speake of other sensible motiues of his agonies the treachery of Iudas whose feete he disdained not to wash but a little before the Iewes ingratitude and aboue all his Fathers anger in iustice heaped vpon him for our misdeedes thoughts and vaine wordes And because it was requisite that God in his iustice should punish sinne in man which man committed therefore the Word of God our mercifull Messias tooke on him mans shape euen as man in Paradise was shapt after his spirituall nature to suffer for man what was due for mans transgression euen vile pouerty conflicts with the world temptations of the Deuill feruent wrastling with sinne bloudy sweates and agonies opprobrious vsages by the Deuils procurement a drench of bitter gall opposite to that fatall iuyce of Adams apple woundes in his side to the effusion of bloud and water the mysticall seales of his last will to the Church the one prefiguring Baptisme the other the Communion both to bathe our sinnes sorrows of death a second death hellish torments both in body and soule an Eclipse of the Deity from his sunny soule All these in humane paines wherein the whole wrath of God due to the sinne of man was for a while included did our Sauiour Christ in this world before he gaue vp the Ghost accomplish and consummate And thus God to saue the sonnes of God like a louing Sheepheard in the behalfe of his sheepe or like that zealous Law-giuer which drew out one of his owne eyes instead of one of his sonnes eyes who by the law was condemned to that kinde of punishment for his adultery I say thus God voluntarily to sustaine and support the man-hood which of it selfe was altogether impotent for the vanquishing of death and for our redemption became man and was put to shamefull death vnder Pontius Pilate President of Iury for Tiberius Caesar the Romane Emperour according to that prophesie After threescore and two weekes shall Messias be slaine yet not for himselfe And as another recorded Iesus shall be openly declared within 400. yeares and after the same yeares shall my Sonne Christ die and all men that haue life He died for a while that he in vs and we in him might liue for euer He died or rather as an ancient Father testifieth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He became a sacrifice for all sinners that were willing by repentance to reforme themselues And as the Prophet foretold of him He was wounded for our infirmities and his soule was made an offering for sinne for our sinnes whose burthen hee bare vpon his Diuine shoulders which neither Sampson Golias Atlas Hercules Milo Crâ—toniates nor all the strong-back't Porters of the world were all their forces conioyned together could euer beare So insupportable are the sinnes of our humane natures The third day as Ionas out of the Whales belly or to speake Poetically as Arion in the deepe Seas on the Dolphms backe hee rose vp inuested with his immaculate soule by his appeased Father who as Dauid prophesied would not leaue his soule in the graue nor suffer his holy One to see corruption And againe in another place He would like a louing shepheard feede him in a greene pasture and lead him forth besides to the waters of comfort yea though he walked through the valley of the shadow of death He died as a Lambe but rose as a Lyon Heauinesse endured for a night but ioy came in the morning In the morning he rose he rose as the morning sunne that like a Bridegroome marcheth out of his chamber He rose to runne a gallant race as
your deeply deuoted Suppliant in his greatest neede Lo how my poore Muse pants eclipsed with your heauenly interposition and bids me as a daily Orator to the Rayes of your Nobility betimes to betake my selfe vnto Epicharmus his ancient Oracle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is To whom Dame nature doth deny To giue her gifts abundantly They out of hand to Auncestry And to their noble Kinne do fly In the beginning of the Christian Church the very name of Christ was sufficient to make Sathan packe and to quite the possâ—ssion of tormented men but he learned a more cunning trick of late vnder the banner of Christ to fight against the Lieuetenant of his Imperiall Maiesty In one point I find no change that is in labouring and working by all meanes to draw men from their trust in Gods directions to a tickle kind of confidence in themselves and in their owne weake knowledge of Good and Euill which our first parents so greedily preferred non ex necessitate fato sed ex libero eligentium proposito not by necessity not by destiny but by their owne freedome of choise as an auncient Father writes LINEAMENT V. 1 Mans fall from the state of innocency is censured 2 Curiosity curbed for intermedling with Gods secrets 3 The first reason why man was not left altogether persect and incapable of sinne 4 The latter reason WHerehence it comes to passe that in wicked men there shines some goodnesse and in Good men is found some wickednesse In pessimis inuenitur aliquid boni in optimis aliquid pessimi In the beginning God made vs all good he made vs honest simple and pure but through our ouer-scrupulous search after his secrets through an ouer-curious oftentation of our owne worth and of our owne righteousnesse through our ingratefull negligence towards our heauenly Father and also through our sliding and slippery carnall condition which could not be like the Creatour in glory we followed our enemies counsell who likewise was created innocent and an Angell of glory though afterwards he became a Detracting Diuell so that God made him not a Diuell but an Angell No more made he vs sinfull but simple His al-secing Maiesty foreknew these tragicke euents and yet for his honour for the behoofe of elected soules and for the replenishing of his Kingdome hee formed both Angels and men by Grace and nature and endowed them with free will and election for his greater glory How should the good be knowne if there were no euill What needes a Monarch prescribe iawes and commandements to his subiects were it not for the auoyding of vice By the fall of the wicked the Good take exemplary feares The fall of the Diuell and his associates caused the rest that remained incorrupt to looke more narrowly to their wayes euen as the punish ments of some Traytors make others true who otherwise might haue erred in the like degree yea Good men are confirmed in goodnesse by obseruation of the contrary which is euill No maruell then that God in his omniscience created man whom he knew would afterwards rebell for as I said before euery creature is corroborated in vertue by noting the effects of the contrary which is vice Whereby we may gather that no wicked thing was immediatly created by God and that we hapned vpon wickednesse by the fragility and weakenesse of our natures which is also signified by that auncient Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For all this curious braines will not leaue off plodding and practizing of profound problemes Why say they did God fashion man of such a brittle State Wherefore made be not all men of the same manners and condition Why did he create man so imperfect of such a tender ticklish forme O foolish fondlings who are ye that presume to dispute with God Was it not enough for your soules to be shaped after his Diuinity both in vnity and in Trinity with absolute and electiue power to slie from the wrath to come I tell you there was no reason that petulant children should possesse all their Fathers goods Which of you I pray will disrobe himselfe of his temporall glory or diuide it with your inferiours Worldly Potentates can endure no corriuals nor by their good wils any equals And should God share with his creatures his most soueraigne perfection which they could aswell moderate as Phaet on the chariot of the Sunne But to yeeld some satisfaction to your curiosities I beleeue that God framed man after this manner for two respects First because that the creature might differ from his Creator who alone is perfect The soule therefore must content her selfe with that vocation which God hath limited vnto her Seeing that she knows her owne weakenesse she must not presume on her imperfect strength seeing that she hath experience of errours she must wholy with feare and trembling relie on the mercy of God who like a tender mother attendeth on his crazed creature and like a milde Phisician out of her relapse worketh an Antidote to preserue her from falling She may be shadowed because she is not God but she can neuer be extinguished because she came from God Potest obumbrari quia non est Deus extinguinon potest quia est à Deo Well may we stumble but through the Grace of God we rise vp quickly We may be as blacke as jet but as true as steele We may be blacke but yet comely as the Tents of Cedar and as the curtames of Solomon Though we be rebellious by nature yet we may be regenerate by faith Though we be excommunicated we may be absolued by the mediation of our Sauiour Christ and obtaine againe our former simplicitie and state of freewill which in that first golden age and time of famous memory we most wilfully lost Though we be but babes we may grow vp to be perfect men in strength and vnderstanding and so at last to a greater measure of sanctification Though we enioy not perfection we retoyce in our redemption And though our mindes in naturall faculties do follow the temperature of our bodies yet in supernaturall speculations we abandon abhor it Another reason why God created man so imperfect if I dare call him so was because that mans soule like mortall eyes which cannot behold the Summers Sunne at noone or like the Owle which is bedazeled with the day-light I say because the soule being â—ncarcerated and enchamed in the massie substance of the flesh was not capable of that excellent perfection Therefore we must not impute our imbecillity and imperfection to Gods want of power or impotency but to his vnsearchable will who after Adams creation left him to himselfe puris naturalibus to the capacity of his owne nature and to our owne earthly Tabernacles which could not participate by reason of our weakenesse and wantonnesse of flesh and bloud all the glorious attributes of the
of a sighing spirit may serue as an instrument of the holy Ghost to transmute roaring Lyons into lowly Lambes By our Ciuill law wee hold that all monsters may be freely slaine Among the auncient Romanes they burned their Monsters with fire composed of those woods commonly called vnluckie namely with bryars brambles thornes hauthornes and with others such like vnfruitfull and vnfertile shrubbes After this manner ought our monstrous Bookes and Ballads to be vsed and interdicted which licentiously detract from the Euangelicall grauity For to what purpose did the Spirit of spirits the spirit of eternall life enable vs to regeneration But onely because we should shew our selues thankefull for so soueraigne a fauour And do we proue thankefull vnto him when we abuse the talent which he hath lent vs as prouident Oeconomickes or Stewards to lay it out for his best behoofe No certainely we are but loose and lauish Stewards when we beget and bring vp such monstrous embrions of Bookes like vnto our iolly hunters which conuert their childrens portion to the vse of dogges Let industrious Inquisitors critickly examine ouer most of such bookes as are yearely imprinted in this famous Citie of London and they shall finde them fitter for Vulcans fiery furnace then for Mercuries learned Library For my part I haue experimented that when I laboured like the Bee to sucke out some substantiall iuyce out of many of these bookes I could not get one droppe to distill downe my painfull pen. When I would haue gathered golden graines out of Cherilus his doung in stead of gold I collected drosse Such detracting and deluding Alchymists are our Pamphleters When I had imployed the vttermost of my deuoir analytically to draw the materiall points of a whole printed quire of paper into short springs and heads in stead of matter I foundm alice in stead of marrow detractions in stead of method neyther rime nor reason In a word I found Chaerilus to be a cursing Barretour and a common brawler more worthy to receiue a thousand fillips or buffets rather then one Phillippine or Rose noble of gold There is a kinde of writing vnfolding the knowledge of Goodnes full of viuacity full of vigour full of that liuely vertue which the Poets termed salem leporem salt and serious substance to season our wanton wittes withall This kinde of writing is the reflecting Image of those two Testaments into whose despised corps the spirit of life after three dayes and a halfe entred whose validity is so vehement that they bring downe flouds of bloud from heauen yea and many sortes of plagues and vengeance vpon all malicious mortals Likewise there is a prophane kinde of writing seruing onely as the instrument of the knowledge of euill for taunts and temptations fraught with Satyricall scoffes with scurrility with Scogins sports with amorous allurements deuised by the Diuell for the replenishing of his Kingdome and for open euidence of condemnation against the reprobate before the grand Iurie of Heauen at the latter day The former kinde of writing hath but small amity and alliance with flesh and bloud it is spirituall and proceedes from the inward man Hee that reades a booke of this stile and stampe shall neuer hunger nor thirst It heateth the heart it healeth the passions it quickneth the spirit and like the Sunne disperseth the thickest cloudes of sinfull nature The other kinde of writing communicates with flesh and bloud causeth men as malefactors to shun the light to liue in the darkesome valley of death and damnation and being like brute beastes bereaued of reason and Diuine knowledge it makes them aliue to be enrowled in the Calender of the Dead Out of both these kindes there flowes a mixt or morall manner of writing inconstantly partaking of the indifferent knowledge of good and euill For man hauing lost his originall happinesse was left here on earth to soiourne in a middle State betwixt heauen and hell With this mixt moralitie Plato Plutarch Pliny Seneca and other Pagan Philosophers were endowed to the end that Gods mercy might be the more glorified and that the Gentils should be inexcusable in their conuersions when they were confuted by their owne rules For euen as his Omnipotent Maiesty vouchsased out of his magnificence to bestow a speciall priuiledge and prerogatiue vpon the Israelites to annoint them with oyle of gladnesse aboue their fellowes to direct them by extraordinary meanes to feed them with Manna with the purest bread So at length by reason of their hardnesse of hearts out of his meere mercy sithence towards the Gentiles hee sent the Sunne-shine of his grace to enlighten their Horizon by such ordinary and mixt morall meanes included in their owne bookes to introduce them to the knowledge of Goodnesse to the reading of the Scripture which as I said before is the reflecting image and inferiour light so that the Gentiles enioy the same at the second hand as crummes reiected and relicted by the luxurious Israelites 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 BVt how comes it to passe in this flourishing time of the Gospell that our Nasones Nasuti are permitted to publish in print their dreams and shallow conceits which tend to the dishonour of Gods name and to the disgrace of their neighbours fame Verily the iudgement is iust that they should be ledde into temptation and become attentiue to lies and libels because they glorified not his hallowed name nor listened to the words of truth whereby they might be saued Herein our common Stage-players and Comicke-writers haue as many witnesses as the world hath eyes that all kind of persons without respect of sexe or degree are nickt and nipped rayled and reuiled by these snarling curre-dogs For let a man endeuour to walke vprightly in the sight of God separating himselfe as neere as he can from tatling tospots and Tobacconists loth to sit in the seat of the scornefull and vnrighteous lest he become like will to like and especially loth to communicate in the Eucharist with such notorious and prophane persons presently these Ganders gagle that such a one is an hypocrite or a pecuish puritane Let a man be silent putting the barre of discretion before his lips lest his tongue trippe and procure hurt according to that Nullâ— tacuisse nocet nocet esse locutum No hurt by silence comes but speech brings hurt These muttering Momes paint out that he is a meacocke a melancholicke Mummer or a simple sot Let an ingenuous scholler salted with experience seasoned with Christian doctrine hauing his heart feared and sealed with zeale and charity let him but broach forth the barrell of his wit which God hath giuen him they crie out that his braine is but an empty barrell his wit but barren his matter borrowed out of other mens bookes At which last imputation
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