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A20838
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The practise of princes. Published by A. Ar
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Ar., A.
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1630
(1630)
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STC 722; ESTC S100204
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18,364
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24
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THE PRACTISE OF PRINCES Published by A. Ar. Prov. 29.4 The King by judgment stablisheth the Land but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it Printed in the yeare 1630. WHen the Children of Israell had sinned against the Lord he delivered them over in the hands of spoylers and sould them into the hands of their enimies round about so that they could not stand before them Levit. 26. Deut. 28. Iudg. 2. Our estate is so we have transgressed his laws with an high hand and yet we have not hearts to lament it as we should nor eies to see the hand of God goe out against us in all we sett our hands unto both in peace and warre but we attribute all to secondary causes looke not to the Lord against whom we have sinned some of us can see that our best Nobility and valiantest Captains and Souldyers are cutt off by indirect means and our wealth and honour consumed to our great reproach and ignominie Yet we do not observe it as we should and what a fearfull estate our land now stands in this short treatise doth shew amongst them that beare sway or at least might be heard by the rulers All seek their own and no man that is Christs Some of them pretend to be conversant for him in superficie boni but it is indeed in alto mal◠Where is there amongst us anie that will stand for the cause of Christ so that I may say there is but a step between us and death Hester will interpose hirself for her countrye and if she perish she perish the fire of Gods wrath is ready to break in upon us therefore if the fewel of sin be not taken away the wrath of Gods will never ceasse till we be all consumed What true heart will not bring help to quench this fire alas it will be vain to bring water when the house is burnt to ashes Who will not at least crye when he seeth his mother murdering I will conclude with the Apostles words Lord save us else we all perish A. Ar. The practise of Princes WISDOM in the Proverbs which all Divines acknowledge to be the Sonne of God the eternal Word by which the father made the world saith there by me Kinges raigne and Princes decree justice by me Princes rule and the nobles and all the Iudges of the earth Where though it be true that God infused into divers heathen Princes and Iudges zealous of virtue and justice some beams of this Wisdom who may therefore be saide in som sort to rule by it yet wee are not to understand that every King and Governour that ruleth iudgeth by unlawful policie or wicked counsell doth it by this Wisdom Jeroboam vainly fearing that the peoples going up to Ierusalem would make them revolt tooke counsaile for the setting up of calves in Bethel and Dan wherin he and his counsel did not rule by this Wisdom but by a divelish policie which indeede was rather folly then true Wisdom for it made God his enemie and was the sodaine overthrow of his howse as the like earthly policies were of the families of Saul Ahab Absolon Achitophel Haman and others The meaning therefore of that place is that all Kings Princes Iudges and Governours that judge and rule well and happily they judge by or according to that wisdom which is Gods word therby keeping theire people what in them is in the true worship and feare of God as did David Iehoshaphat Hezekiah and Josiah wherin they are truly Gods Vicegerents seeking his kingdom and the righteousnes thereof and whereby theire owne kingdoms are kept in peace and the neighbouring kingdoms come to feare them as they did Iehoshaphat therefore wisdō saith By me Kings raigne not by any polices or subtiltie but by me who am Gods Wisdom Which is there found most true where Princes square theire counsels by Gods word and labour that theire people may be governed in all matters of faith and salvation by his revealed will and where as they ought theire owne lawes and governement tend to the same ende for therefore the throne of a King is called the throne of the Lord and the kingdoms of this world the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ But besides those general rules in the Law and the Gospel which shew Princes what should be the end and scope of al their lawes and government and by which where kings doe so esteeme of them their people are bridled and kept in awe as by that word which stilled the raging of the sea and the madnes of the people and which is the rod of his strength this Wisdom in holy writ and especially in that booke of the Proverbs hath left unto all Princes divers speciall Rules whereby they ought to square all their actions and government which may be called The Princes principles or The practise of Princes which should be regarded as Christs charge to Christian Kings and euer observed because they are Gods immutable Wisdom which he hath left to be a sure guide to all Princes to the ende of the world and wherof in a more special manner that may seeme to be saide By me Kings raigne c. Now therefore hearken o Children unto me If al the Children of Wisdom ought so to doe Princes more especially their calling beeing of the greatest waight deeply concerning so many thousands of people and standing most in neede of that Wisdoms help which is the Sonne and the Prince of the Kings of the earth Al Princes are as much bound to observe his lawes and directions as theire meanest subiects are to regard theirs for he is the King of kings and all his Rules and directions are perpetuall lawes so immutable and irrevocable that all designes and determinations that are contrary unto them how faire a shew soever they make of wisdom and a probable good they are but meere wickednes and can not establish the Prince that puts them in practise but rather tend to his undoing for that is one infallible principle left us by Wisdom A man can not be established by wickednes and therefore the Lord saith Woe to the rebellious children that take counsell but not of me and cover with a covering but not of my spirit which walke to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh and trust in the shadow of Egypt as Asa also sought a league with Syria and relyed on it and not on the Lord and was therefore punished wherefore Wisdom saith It is an abhomination to Kings to commit wickednes for the throne is established by justice by carrying themselves justly towards God and their people therefore state policies that stand not with pietie must needes overthrow it Such are all temporisings in matters of religion with Princes and people of a contrary faith and seeking or favouring middle waies of reconcilement such as halt betweene God and Baal betweene Christ Antichrist like the Arminians of our time which euer
it is to see wicked counsellors get such a hand over theire King that he is wholy ruled by them and dares not doe or say any thing but what they like nor favour a good man and his cause further then they admit as it was with Zedekiah who durst not be knowne of the talke he had with Ieremie but was forced to faigne a busines and an answer to stop the mouths of his Princes and Councellors so verie a child they made of him though it be saide woe to thee o Land whose King is a child when with a couragious constant frowne he might have dispersed them all and have saved himselfe and the citie by beeing perswaded by Ieremie 2. Wisdom saith of a true king The pleasure of a King is in a wise servant this wise man is one truly religious not an Achitophel but his wrath shall be toward him that is lewd Such as are our seditious whisperes the seedesmen of division Righteous lips are the delight of Kings and the King loveth him that speaketh right things And againe A King that sitted in the throne of judgment chaseth away all evill with his eyes He lookes with indignation on wicked men as considering that he sits in the throne of the Lord to doe that which is right and best for Gods service and kingdom A wise King scattereth the wicked and causeth the wheele to turne over them And why should wee not pray and hope that God may give our King this grace seeing Wisdom saith The Kings heart is in the hand of the Lord as the rivers of water he turneth whithersoever it pleaseth him for he saith to Kings Cast out the scorner and strife shall goe out so contention reproch shall ceasse and on the other side He that loveth purenes of heart for the grace of his lips the King shall be his freind Wisdom also sheweth that it is for a Kings honour and safety to have wicked men sifted out and cut off or expelled saying The glory of God is to conceale a thinge but the Kings honour is to search out a thinge to let such come to triall Take the drosse from the silver and there shall proceede a vessel for the finer Take away the wicked froÌ„ the King and his throne shall be established in righteousnes as if he saide otherwise it must needes totter O but these cunning Achitophels have many goodly pretences shewing that it is wisdom in Kings to keepe downe and suppresse these Puritans as they were ever pleased to call the gentlemen of the lower howse and all that crie out for reformation or trouble themselvs with such matters as the treatie and match with Spaine the increase of poperie and Arminianisme the losse of the Palatinate and of Shipping and honour in the Seas transportation of mumunition and corne the Rochellers or the like and thereby say they taxe the wisdom and government of theire King and his councell wheÌ„ indeede this suggestion the like is but a cloake to cover theire treacherie love to superstition and hate of our religioÌ„ yet want they not a disguise of pretended love to the booke of common praier the hierarchie and such traditions and ceremonies thereof as doe not offend poperie as if that were sufficient to make them protestants and good states men whose hearts and practises are for Rome for as wisdom saith Hatred may be couered by deceite but the malice thereof shall be discovered in the congregation that is in an publick and free assembâ—ie which shewes the good use and necessity of Parlâ—aments which these mens practise could never endure and therefore they have stil got them dissolved by hooke or by crooke let what would follow either at home to the joy and furtherance of the Papists and Arminians the extreame weakning of the King and kingdom or abroade to the undoing of our freinds and religion in Germanie the Palatinate France and Denmarke whereby our Bisshops and theire abettors have shewed they had rather all these should fall then theire owne faction and glorie though poperie and pelagianisme have every where thriven by it what care they that beeing in many of them the maine ende of these theire practises witnes Cosens protected for al his cosening devotions published and palpable superstition erected and theire suffering the Appealers booke to passe two or three yeares and the Author to be rewarded that so schollers in the universities to get promotion might in like manner corrupt and be corrupted and so corruption might spread from these fountains to all parts of the Land watered by them and when they doubted that in Parliament it might be questioned and they for suffering and furthering it to prevent that they get the King to call it in sleigthly not a search to be made for it as for other bookes not left as this to be freely sold in shops by any that would and to forbid all disputes preaching and writing on both sides knowing they could thereby hinder all that should write against those errors and let bookes and disputes passe which defended the same as they after did Dr. Iacksons second part printed before the Parliament but somwhat kept in till it was dissolved whence it appeares that though these were points they durst not maintaine in Parliament and therefore errors yet theire drift was to save and further them and to engage the king further and further in the cause that so the Parliament might not medle with them or if they did it might be pretended the howse tooke the matter out of his hand taxed his government and undervalued his prerogative that so he inceÌ„sed thereby might shew the Arminians more favour And the like ends have they that get Kings in pretended policie to connive at poperie and stay the execution of lawes against Papists suffer ordinaÌ„ce victuals and other provision of war to be daily transported to the enemies of our religion that so if never so litle shew be made of reforming these things before a Parliament and yet Parliaments complaine of them or of theire agents in court church-papists trecherous favourits delinquents straight it might be preteÌ„ded the matter is taken out of the Kings hand and his government and prerogative is taxed and infringed thereby to put off reformation incense his majestie and get them more favour And still to saue these practises from comming to triall and therewithall to put men out of heart in theire trading make them sell theire ships and therein the wals of the land they euer finde the Parliaments other worke in case of customs priviledges and other matters and then informe the king that in those things his prerogative is by them grossly infringed and he obliged to dissolve the assemblie The reasons why the howse of Austria and the French have of late prevailed are cheifely two first because they had care to suffer none to be of theire councell of state Agents abroade nor Generals and