Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	aaron_n	apostle_n	prophet_n	24	3	5.6607	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68283	Foure bookes of offices enabling privat persons for the speciall seruice of all good princes and policies. Made and deuised by Barnabe Barnes.	Barnes, Barnabe, 1569?-1609.	1606 (1606)	STC 1468; ESTC S106957	238,357	234

rule of a kingdome being reuiued in the Consuls out of the gouernment Aristocraticall represented by the Senators and out of the Democracie manifested in the Plebeian Tribunes a firme and absolute Commonwealth was fashioned Those Monarchies which are esteemed most perfect and excellent at this day being established by the Senate or Counsell of most prudent persons aduaunced for their true nobilitie to that place with a kind of consent and approbation of the commons doe moderate and nobly restraine the princes force within the limits of his owne lawes made and published for the benefit of his people generally by which meanes their wealth peace may be multiplied conserued especially when the crowne is not bestowed vpon any through suffragation as by briberie faction or affection but by royall right of heritage to princes next in succession by blood as it is in this renowmed monarchie of Brittaine vnder your maiesties imperiall Scepter at this day for euery good Commonwealth is vnder iust gouerment with excellent counsell conserued and amplified neither can it but of force must otherwise be ruined and perish For as much therefore as euery Commonwealth consisteth of a multitude which should liue in vnitie together vnder one God one king and one law I will speake somewhat of the incorporation and harmonious vnion of people and nations one within another So much the rather because the present state of our monarchie thus confirmed and happily lincked in vnion requireth it in this semblably with all requisite humiliation as in all other things yeelding and submitting my iudgement to the correction of wisedome The first and best forme of gouernment and empire is where one king moderateth and ruleth all nations vnder his dominion vnited according to the true spirit of vertue which domination is properly tearmed by the sages of wisedome a monocracie for it representeth the perfect ordination of nature by which euerie multitude and deformitie submitteth it selfe to some one thing which gouerneth the same euen as all things mooueable are reduced vnto the first moouer or centre from which all Lines Elements and Dimensions are deriued For proofe hereof Herodian in his historie writeth that Darius vpon a consultation how the Persian state might be best established as a paranymph by the liuely force of a most eloquent oration defended the forme of a monarchie which the Persian senate did also with one voice applaud declaring and proclaming him their king thereupon The like part did Mecanas defend against Agrippa before Octauius Caesar and preuailed both their copious and effectuall orations are yet extant in Dion Cassius To confirme this both by diuine authorities and humane nature the blessed Apostle saith that there is one head one spirit one lord And it is written in the prophet Ezechias My seruant Dauid shall be their king and onely shepheard oner them all Also wee find in the gouernement of nature amongst bees one chiefe one guide amongst cranes one emperour or king amongst nations vnited in obedience to the righteous scepter of one and one iudge or president ouer euery prouince When Rome was first builded it would not endure the gouernement of two brethren equall in empire And in sacred monuments we find that Iacob and Esau disagreed in the very wombe of Rebecca Vnum etenim arbustum non alit duos Erithacos One bush will not admit two ruddockes at once vpon it Neither can the Empire or kingdome of any brooke two Phoenixes to liue at once Nature also instructeth and teacheth vs how one ocean imboketh many riuers which as contributaries subiects suppliants and weake ones haue recourse and admittance into the strong bosome of the vaste seas In a Monarchie therefore and in the whole course of euery good policie these three speciall are most certaine and faithfully to bee receiued The first is one God without fellowship in power and vertue whose sacred iealousie will not admit of any copartener or competitor according to whose precepts and instructions deliuered as it is written in those holy bookes to his faithfull seruants Moyses and Aaron and after to the blessed Patriarkes then to the diuine Prophets and lastly by the blessed mouth of Christ Iesus his sonne our Sauiour vnto the sanctified Apostles without addition or diminution our true Religion Catholicke being the vertuous baulme of our mortified soules and bodies wounded with the darts of sinne and death and extracted out of the most precious and inestimable substance of our saluation is immoueably grounded The second one king who semblably without any competitor or associate coequall in his authoritie doth represent in himselfe the very person of royall iustice according to that excellent verse of the Poet Nulla fides regni socijs Omnisque potestas Impatiens consorti●… erit There is not any trust to be reposed betwixt fellowes in Empire for each power is impatient of a competitor The pa●…ts of a true prince as Plata defineth is Ex lege more regere To rule by law and custome H●… being thus placed in the throne of royaltie sheweth Go●… high fauour and deare loue to that people whom hee graciously gouerneth by those wise and godly rulers which vnder him sit on the throne of Iustice wherein likewise the king sheweth his owne excellent prudence that can by good discretion make choice of such excellent magistrates Hence was it that Queene Saba did magnifie king Salomon aboue all the kings on earth in these words Blessed be the Lord thy God which loued thee to set thee on the throne of Israel becaus●…hee loued Israel for euer and made thee king●… to doe righteousnesse and equitie c. In the King therfore is comprehended the power and vigour of those humane laws which proceeded from his diuine Sapience answering to the natures of his people and consenting with the time●… necessitie which he stands obliged to protect with the maiestie of his state antiquating such ordinances as haue beene formerly thought behoofefull and not presently seruing in such needfull request as before for in the Prince and in his Lawes hauing entire reference and respect to the true worship and lawes of God which is the principall all Kingdomes Nations and People are preserued gouerned and maintained in glorie wealth and tranquilitie And hence is it that the Prophet Dauid sayth Giue thy Iudgements to the King O God and thy ●…teousnesse vnto the Kings sonne that in Righteousnesse hee may iudge thy people and the poore in Equitie●… The mountaines and hils shall bring peace to thy people by Iustice. For which speciall and singular glits and vertues of Righteousnesse Concord and Iustice Kings and Princes were first ordayned whose institution was diuine and heau●…nly and by the most bountifull and gracious ordinance of God appointed for the weale of his people Also they that were so chosen in regard of their prudence humanitie temperance and other excellent faculties wherein they surpassed all others were therefore called to the gouernment of people and

haue beene for a thousand and six hundred yeeres past and since betwixt England and Fraunce England and Scotland England and Spaine England and Ireland England and Denmarke what with Wales what with Heathens and Mahemetans what ciuile and intestine commotions which and in how many battailes that were conquerors what occasioned their ruine or victorie also the causes and captaines of commotions how they were vanquished or quieted what benefite or mischiefe ensued thereon Hee that can well and aptly make relation hereof may passe the muster with more than ordinarie pay for his paines If a Counsellor therefore hauing vnderstanding requisite accustome himselfe with patience in much reading which is commonly most yrkesome to the purest and most precious wits that benefite is vnspeakeable which by the knowledge of hystories shall enrich his mind and vnderstanding considering how the examples of a priuat and publicke life the beginnings augmentations proceedings conseruations and inclinations of realmes with all ciuile commutations are discouered by them The knowledge of which shall not be very long in attaining for so much as men of this place shall find noble vse thereof dayly Prudence is one speciall gift of God attained by prayer and the due feare of his Maiestie which as the wise Salomon sayth is the beginning of all wisedome Since therefore it doth principally respect the knowledge and practise of wise magistrates to be possessed of that princely iewell I will in so short as I can open the substance thereof according to the morall obseruations in Philosophie Prudence therefore is the Gouernesse and Iudge of all vertue the knowledge which teacheth men how to liue blamelesse or a true mentall affection declaring as Cicero writeth what honest and profitable things with their contraries wee should desire and detest It is likewise a kind of cunning which with a mysticall honest and profitable dissimulation myneth into the depth of causes and actions And in another d●…finition Est bona animi affectio habitus indagandi quod verum sit It is a good affection and habite of the mind to sent out the truth Prudence is either large and vniuersall which wee may tearme heroicall prudence or a vertue strict and distinguished that being composed of consultation cunning opinion and sagacitie openeth the truth in all actions and therefore it is imposed as an euerlasting iewell and endlesse victorie both in peace and warre for any prince to weare neere himselfe Duo sunt qua ab egregijs principibus expetuntur sanctitas domi in armis fortitudo vtrobique prudentia Two properties are required in excellent good princes in his Realmes sanctitie in his warres fortitude in both places prudence The substance of prudence is truth by which humane reason should entirely be gouerned Truth is the Medium betwixt arrogance and dissimulation mouing men to shew themselues plaine in word and deed There is another definition of politicall truth not much different which is a kind of habite to speake a truth in all publicke and priuate causes without any fraud arrogance or dissimulation Towards the knowledge of truth by lore of Philosophie fiue vertuous qualities are required The first is Science being a sure and infallible knowledge and apprehension of any thing which may proceed out of the causes thereof either by naturall instinct or some other reasonable demonstrations as in Theologicall and Mathematicall practise for so much as the learning contained in those Sciences teacheth such things as cannot easily be wrested otherwise by reason As first appeareth by the definition of Religion which is the seale or bond of Theologie being the true feare loue and honour of God which religion bringeth a zealous care and reuerent ceremonie towards the worship of a superiour nature which nature we call diuine because it so farre exceedeth the corruption and perfectest apprehension of man and amongst others by the Prophet Dauid vnto the kings of this earth as a monition or exhortation it is deliuered Vnderstand O you Kings serue the Lord with feare and reioyce in him with trembling c. And therefore if religion were nothing but humane policie which the damned and execrable Atheists imagine in their foolishnesse yet must wee certainely know that if the feare of God aboue were not men would contemne all lawes and vertue imagining that all men had free leaue in their owne corrupt natures which they most impiously would make their God and be by the same directed to doe their owne hearts lusts The Mathematickes also Quae sunt quasi comites administrae viri politici Which are as it were the companions and agents of a Polititian and which Plutarch placeth in the soule of man as being a part of the Theorique or contemplatiue faculties are arts likewise which cannot otherwise bee wrested And hence is it that Science is called Habitus demonstrandi per causas A habite of demonstration by reasons The second meanes towards the knowledge of truth is art being a kind of mentall habit or experimentall skill to performe and perfect things by such means as without them they otherwise may bee done and as Tacitus writeth Apud maiores virtutis id praemium fuit cunctisque ciuium si fiderent bonis artibus licitum petere Magistratus It was proposed to our auncestors and vnto all citizens for a reward of their vertues and as a thing allowable to sue for reputations and offices if they did build vpon their knowledge in good arts And from hence are all trades professions and mysteries by which men liue and attaine worldly happinesse drawne and deriued The third part of truth is Prudence it selfe being a certaine habite effecting such things by reason as either tend vnto the weale or harme of persons Hence is it called Prudence in men to consult graciously for themselues and others to gouerne priuate families and to serue or minister vnto the Commonwealth in publicke causes fortunately and beneficially The fourth being Intelligence nobly placed in the mind of man is a kind of habite moouing the mind enclining and yeelding it selfe constantly to things which cannot be by demonstration perfected It is likewise a certaine habite of experiment had in the principles or heads and grounds of causes from whence all proofes are drawne The adiuncts and parts of Intelligence according to Metopius the Pythagorean Philosopher are iudgement and contemplation both of them issuing from reason The fifth and last part of truth is Sapience being a most absolute and perfect knowledge of such things as are contained within the limits of humane apprehension as well in metaphysicall as in naturall causes howbeit especially leuelling at diuine matters according to the definition of it Quae est rerum diuinarum amplissima scientia Which is a most ample skill had of diuine matters Onely that which regardeth humane policies or affaires is more properly tearmed Prudence which as Aristotle sayth is the cause meanes or procurer of Sapience But of this last part of truth