Heart and Treasure thy mind and are all these benefits to be despised and this peace not to bee applauded God forbid when children with Drums strike marches of mirth and Trumpets sound dances in stead of deadly marches when men may sing women dance and children play altogether reioyce and giue praises vnto God is this peace to be murmured at fie vppon such wicked spirits that can bee possest with such hellish humors leaue therefore thy murmuring at this great blessing of peace and giue glory vnto God for the comfort of so great a grace for by it thou possessest more thē all the world without it for though by labour may wealth be gotten and by wisedome honor yet without that blessing of peace through the malice of Ambitiō thou maist soone loose all that thou enioyest pray then for the cōtinuance of so great a comfort and murmure not at the ordināce of God in so gracious a shewing of so glorious a mercy shew not the dogged nature of such a deuilish spirit to drowne thy soule in the delight of bloud Thinke on the miserie of ciuill warres or what warres soeuer subuersion of States death of Princes massacres of People teares of Widdowes cries of Children Citties burning Tyrants killing Terror spoiling and hearts dispairing when thou shalt see before thy face thy wife dishonoured thy daughter deflowred thine infant slaine and thy selfe made a slaue to villanie and if it possible might be a hell vpon earth where deuils like men or men like deuils seeke the destruction of the whole world Murmure not then at the ioyfull blessing of peace but imbrace it with such thankfulnes as may continue thy happines least vvhen thou vvouldest haue peace thou canst not because vvhen thou haddest it thou regardest it not Againe dost thou murmure at plentie pittie but thou shouldest want that is necessarie vvho hadst rather see thy brother starue then to releeue him out of thy aboundance Oh vngratious wretch so far from the feeling of Gods grace that for a priuat gain wouldst wish a general griefe like a miser that pinching his belly to spare his purse wold see the death of a vvhole Kingdome to fill vp one corner of his cofers or doest thou murmure at the plentie of another beholding thine own penury Why remēber thou broghtest nothing into the vvorld nor shalt carry any thing with thee out of it and what thou hast is but lent thee shal be taken frō thee or thou frō it cāst thou not then content thy selfe vvith thy portion and rather labour for thine own good then enuy at the welth of another or dost thou murmur at the vvealth of many and thine own pouerty looke into thy self and see if there be not more poorer then richer then thy selfe and if not yet that thou art not alone to beare the burthen of thy crosse But hadst thou rather see a bare haruest a naked tree a thin Meadow and a blasted vineyard then thy barnes full of corn thy stacks full of hay thy trees full of fruite and thy vessels full of vvine canst thou so much forget God to bee vnthankfull for his blessings and bee so vnnaturall to thine owne heart as to seeke the miserie of thine owne Soule What dogge would shew so diuellish a nature Haddest thou rather gnaw vpō a crust then haue a whole loafe sippe of a little cruse then drinke of a full cup vveare a peece of a ragge then a vvhole suite of apparrell and a penny in thy purse rather then thy chest full of gold then art thou either a foole that vnderstandest not vvhat is good for thee or a dogge that dispisest that is giuen thee or a deuill in not acknovvledgeing the goodnes of thy God tovvards thee hadst thou rather see a table without meat a stable vvithout horses a pasture vvithout Cattell a purse vvithout a pennie then good meate faire horses fat cattle and a full purse oh monster of nature vvhat dost thou then among men leaue therefore thy murmuring and let me thus farre aduise thee what thou hast spend not vainly what thou gainest get not vilely vvhat thou vvantest beare patiently and vvhat thou giuest giue frankely murmure not to part vvith thy plēty nor at the plentie of another for plentie is a blessing of God vvhich taken thankfully breeds many comforts while penury is a plague either inflicted vpon sinne or sent for a triall of vertue vvhere patience possessing the soule the bodie may bee the better seruant Murmur not therfore at the blessing of plentie either vpon thy selfe or others Againe dost thou murmure at ease oh vvhat madnes doth possesse thee hadst thou rather tire out thy body thē giue rest to thy mind and labor out thy heart thē giue cōfort to thy spirit hadst thou rather mourn thē sing cry then laugh run thē vvalke be beaten of thine enemie thē be kissed of thy friend hadst thou rather watch two nights thē sleep one vvorke ten dayes then play one and fast ten vveekes thē fare vvel one I do not beleeue thee or els beleeue thee to be mad Hadst thou rather ride a hard trotter thē an ambler sit on a Pitchforke thē a pillovv lie on a board thē a bed if thy vvil so much exceed thy vvit I shall neuer take thee for a reasonable Creature therfore murmure not at ease vvhich to nature is so cōfortable to reason so acceptable but doest thou murmur at ease in others pain in thy self others may haue the ease thou wātest thou the ease they cannot haue they may sit while thou walkest but perhaps walke whē thou sleepest they may haue health thou sicknesse yet thy conscience may be at better quiet they may fare delicately thou hardly yet thy stomacke may disgest better they may possesse more yet thou be better contented Murmure not therefore at ease either in thy selfe or other for it is a blessing sooner lost then gottē murmuring is the worke of malice which once setled in the minde ouerthrowes more then bodie when many kinds of diseases robbe the heart of all ease Again dar'st thou murmure at thy King that hee is not in all thinges to thy minde Traitor vnto God and man hovv canst thou excuse thy villany whē if thou canst cōsider his worth confesse his worthynesse thou wilt hate thine ovvne soule to cōceiue one discontentiue thought of his Maiestie or the least thought of hurt to his sacred person but base wretch that thou art to grudge at that vvhich thou canst not iudge off or to inioy that thou art not vvorthy off for if thy King vvere vnlearned it might be a sorrovve to thy heart if irreligious a torment to thy soule if of base linage it might haue bin a vvound to thyne Honor if Tiranously minded a vvoe to thy comfort if vvickedly inclined a plague to thy patience but of a Royall Lyne from the Loynes of many Kinges and frō one Kingdome to an other or
A Murmurer LONDON Printed by ROBERT RAVVORTH and are to be sold by Iohn Wright at his shop neere Christ-Church gate 1607. TO THE RIGHT HOnorable the Lords of his Maiesties most Honorable priuie Counsell RIght Honorable It cannot bee vnknowne to your wisedomes how perilous a thing both to the Crowne the Peeres and the Nobles yea and to all the parts of the common-weaâ—th is the vngratious vngodly yea prophane hellish humor of murmuring especially against God the king or any their ordeyned magistrates in a Kingdome for the cure wherof what care is to be taken your discreet considerations can determine and knowing in your honorable dispositions an assured hate vnto all such vnpleasing and vnprofitable spirits as no doubt but you wil weed out froÌ„ the good hearbs in the grouÌ„d of your charge and again how blessed a thing the vnioÌ„ of harts wil be to your honorable Spirits whose continual care of the preseruatioÌ„ both of our king and his vvhole kingdom deserueth no little honor I haue presumed rather vpoÌ„ your honorable pardons of what may offend your patience then your fauorable acceptaÌ„ce of my vnvvorthy seruice to present your Honors vvith a little tract against Murmurers murmuring in vvhich if I haue passed anie thing displeasing to your good patience huÌ„blie crauing pardon I atteÌ„d the sorrovv of my Imperfection but if I haue in any thing contented the least of your good likings I will leaue murmurers to the fruite of their malice and pray to God so to blesse your good minds that you may find out such offendors and giue them the due of their desert and in your selues among your selues may be so lincked in your loues that to God and his Maiestie you may euer liue togither in your seruice that when wickednes is weeded out and Grace is planted in the place God may be pleased the King best preserued and the Common wealth best gouerned So fearing with tediousnes to be a trouble to your good patience beseeching God to blesse you al with as much happines as murmurers are worthy to want I humbly rest Your Honors in all Humblenes To the Reader LET me intreat you by the kindnes I hope in you to bee perswaded that what I haue written in this little Tract is rather done to reueale the follie of a malitious humor then to taxe any person with the infection The labour is not long nor the sence obscure the substance whereof leauing to the censure of your discretion or correction of your good patience with my loue to your kind desert I rest as I find cause Against Murmurers and Murmuring OH Murmurer what wouldest thou haue was there euer any Kingdome so many years and so many waies blessed and thou in it so little worthy of thy comforts and so worthy of the contrarie is not thy Earth fertill are not thy Riuers sweet is not thy Aire temperate are not thy Citties faire thy people rich thy men strong thy women fruitfull thy Magistrates wise and thy King gratious are not thy Seas as a wall to defend thee from the assaults of thine enemies and hath not thy peace bred such a plentie as maks thee admired in the whole vvorld hast thou not vvith all this the richest iewel in the world yea and more vvorthy then the vvhole vvorld vvhich is the heauenly vvord of God to direct thee in his holy vvill and vvil not al this suffice thee to bring thee to the seruice of thy God to acknovvledge his goodnes to admire his greatnes to giue glory to his Maiestie vvhat shall I then say vnto thee but as I said in the beginning oh vvhat vvouldst thou haue In the time of blindnes vvhen the booke of life vvas shut from thy reading vvhen thy learned preachers and zealous people vvere put vnto the fire vvhen ciuil vvarres did breed thy penury and thy forraine enimies vvere readie to inuade thee vvheÌ„ thy Gouernour vvas a Tyrant thy life a bondage thy estate a miserie then hovv glad vvouldest thou haue bin to haue tasted the least of the blessings that novv thou art full of and then vvouldest thou haue prayed for deliuerance from thy sorrovves and ioyed in the least hope that might haue cleered thy heauy heart and art thou novv so hard harted so ill natured so void of seÌ„ce or so full of ingratitude that thou canst not conceiue thou vvilt not acknovvledge thou dost not vnderstand or vvilt not bee thankfull for this great measure of grace that God hath bestovved vpon thee vvhat then wil becoÌ„e of thee but let me aske thee what doth aile thee is ease a griefe pleasure a paine peace a Trifle plentie a Toy a good King a small blessing a graue Counsaile a meane comfort and the vvord of God a slight Ievvell learned Preachers and profouÌ„d Lawiers little blessing what shall I then say vnto thee but that they are ill bestovved on thee doest thou murmure at Religion is it not better to serue God then Man and to beleeue the Truth then follovv Error to vvorship God in the Heauens then make a kind of God on the Earth and to begge pardon of thy God at home then to buy it of a man abroad dost thou murmure that the Saints are not worshiped and wilt thou forget to vvorship God aboue wilt thou murmur at thy Loyalty learne the witch-craft of Rebellion wilt thou forget thy vocation and fal into the sin of presumption are these the fruites of thy deuotion fie vpon thy follie that hast no more tast of discretioÌ„ wouldest thou rather hear the vvord vnderstand it not then vnderstand it and beleeue it or trust rather to the vvord of a Priest for thy coÌ„fort then to thine ovvne faith for thy Saluation oh pittiful imperfection vvhat shall I say vnto thee but onely pray for thee that God vvil forgiue thee opeÌ„ the eyes of thy vnderstanding that by the light of his grace thou maist get out of thy darknes and beholding the greatnesse of his mercy giue glorie to his holy Maiestie Leaue therfore thy murmuring and turne it to thanksgiuing that so great a part of the vvorld being shut vp in the caue of Error thou vvalkest in the vnderstanding path of the perfection of all truth least if thou continue in thy accursed nature thy gratious God seeing thy vngratfulnes either depriue thee of thy comfort or cast thee into vtter darknes vvhile the Buls of Rome shal breed too many calues in Britanie Again dost thou murmur at peace hast thou a spirit of discord dost thou delight in blood oh brood of Caine looke on thy brother Abell heare the curse on thy condition doest thou vvalke in quiet vvorke in quiet eat in quiet sleep in quiet is thy vvife in thy bosome thy Children at thy Table thy seruaÌ„ts in thy busines do thy friends come to see thee thy neighbours salute thee thine enemies liue from thee doth Musicke fill thine Eares Beautie thine Eyes Wisdome thy
rather by vniting of Kingdomes to make a Monarchie of peace to the admiration of the vvorld so profoundly read in the rules of best learning and so vvell Linguist in the most necessary Languages as are gratious in his person and Maiesticall in his place in Religion so zelous in disposition so vertuous in mercie so gracious as both for his presence and his spirit is vvorthy to be honored honorably loued and louingly serued Hovv canst thou be so vile of disposition or senceles of good as to murmure at so great a blessing as God hath giuē thee in his gouernmēt Doest thou murmure at his pleasures and loue the same thy selfe Doeth he hunt and delight in Dogges better to nourish dogs vvho shevv but their natures and vvill bee at their Masters Seruice then to maintain those monsters of men that cōtrary to the nature of men vvill murmure at the welfare of their Master Again hadst thou a King vvithout a Queene thou mightst fear trouble through vvant of Issue but so gracious a Queene and the mother of so blessed Children so Princely a Progenie as may glad the hearts of the vvhole Kingdome Villain to thine owne Soule that vvilt murmure at these Comforts and not be thankefull for these blessings Did he hunt thine heires from their possessiōs their heads from their shoulders thy Preachers from their Churches or thy Cities from their Liberties then hadst thou cause to grieue but hast no vvarrant to murmure but hee that seeketh thy safetie continueth thy peace encreaseth thy plentie and maintayneth thy pleasure is louing to thee reioyceth in thy loue and deserues to be loued of thee What deuill can possesse thee that such a King cānot please thee wouldst thou haue him gouerned by thee vvho gouernes the vvhole Kingdome besides thee thou art foolish vvho being a Subiect vvouldest bee a King and how canst thou thinke to gouerne vvhen thou hast not learned to be gouerned Againe canst thou by thy policie vnite kingdōs as he hath don by his person art thou so wel allied as to link such loue in royall lines No thou art not and if thou vvert yet God hath made thee a Subiect and therefore make not thy selfe a rebell but rather learne hovv to obey his vvill then to murmure at his gouernment be thankefull to God for the much good in him and murmure not at the euill that thou misconceiuest in him least God seeing thy vilenesse bring thy villany to light and vvith a shamefull death giue thee the due of thy desert leaue then to murmure at him and be thankfull for him murmure not at his greatnesse considering his goodnesse nor at his case for thou knovvest not his care nor at his vvealth cōsidering his vvorthinesse nor at his povver considering his vvisdom but loue him serue him honour him and obey him and be thankfull to the Maiesty of the heauens that thou mayest behold such a Maiesty on Earth Murmure not at the tribute thou payest him for all thou hast is too little for his seruice Murmure not at the Seruice thou dost him for thou canst neuer doe him ynough for his vvorthines Murmure not at thy vvant of his bountie least he see more thy greedinesse then good vvil In summe murmure not at him not any thing that may dislike thee in him least God making him see thy vvickednes thy life make ansvver for thy folly vvhile continuing in thy murmuring till thy death it carry thee headlong to the deuill Againe dost thou murmure at the Counsel either for the povver of their authoritie the honour of their place or the State of their possessions Looke backe into thy selfe and bee ashamed of thy sinne Is not the care of the Commonwealth the course of Iustice the quiet of the state and the preseruation of the vvhole Kingdome vnder God and his Maiestie in the hands of those Magistrats vvhose vvisdome deserueth honour vvhose care deserueth praise vvhose labour deferueth vvealth and vvhose vvil deserueth obedience and canst thou sencelesse wretch fretting in melancholy not able to discerne the least part of their perfectiōs offend thy God thy King thy State yea thy selfe and thine owne Soule vvith the wicked humor of Ingratitude vvhich growne out of Ignorance bred in Enuie growes vp in Ambition shall die in Ignominie Fie vpon thy inhumane Nature that abiding nothing that is good doest onely seede vpon Euill vvho being carelesse of order vvouldest haue no Law dissolute in thy vvill vvilt endure no Counsaile fond in thy vvit makest no reckoning of Wisedome and not knowing the labour of Studie vvouldest allow nothing for the Studient Oh vvhat a cōmon vvoe would be in that commonvvealth vvhere thou shouldest haue power to appoint Gouernours but leaue thy murmuring at them reuerence them in their places honor them in their vvisedomes loue them in their vertues serue them in their worthinesse and obey them in their commaunds least finding thy condition they take order vvith thy disposition vvhen to vveede out such a venemous Serpent is necessary for the preseruing of better spirits for Murmurers are like to Mutiners vvhere one cursed villaine may be the ruine of a whole Camp for which if there vvere not Martiall Lawe there vvere no life for the Souldior nor honour in Armes Againe doest thou murmure at the Lawyer oh vvitlesse creature how wouldest thou keepe thy Landes Goods or Houses if there vvere no Law to maintaine thy right How wouldest thou haue thy vvrongs redressed if there vvere no power of Iustice How should the King gouerne and the Subiect bee gouerned but by the course of Lawe And are not the Iudges Counsellors and true Administers of the Law rather to bee honoured for their learning and rewarded for their labours then to bee murmured at for their seruice But liue thou within the limits of the Law and thou vvilt not murmure at their Lawes For vvho hateth the Iudge but the Theefe the Traytor the Cosener or the Consumer and therefore murmure at thy selfe and leaue murmuring at Lawyers Againe doest thou murmure at the vvord of God oh child of the diuell is it not the key of Grace that openeth the gate of heauen and the lamp of Loue that giues light vnto the way of life Is it not the comfort of the heart and the food of the Soule and being a Iewell of such price as all the vvorld cānot purchase a Treasure of that vvorth that all the vvorld cannot value a ioy of that Nature that dooth rauish the Soules of the Elect What shall I say to thee But thou art a Deuill incarnate that so farre from the Spirit of Grace canst bee vngratefull for so gracious a blessing or murmure at so glorious a gift of Mercie for to scorue the tidings of Saluation is to hasten the vvay vnto Damnation Note vvhat it is to murmure and the estate of Murmurers Coran Dathan and Abiram murmured at Moses what became of them The earth swallowed them Pharaoh murmured at the Israelites What vvas his reward