holy Spirit and the Sonne a holy Spirit yet notwithstanding because Holinesse or Sanctification towards mankinde proceedes from loue which loue is sent or produced from their mutuall will from the Father by election in loue and from the Sonne by his word and redemption in loue this Holinesse as a Tertian or third influence proceeding out of two Diuine respects towards the saluation of mankind is rightly attributed to the third person in Trinity as to the Ambassadour of both their willes so that the whole Trinity partakes of the same Holines of the same Loue of the same Will of the same Spirit of the same Godhead of the same Vnity as S. Paul very manifestly expresseth in these wordes Endeuourye to keepe the vnity of the Spirit in the bond of peace one body and one Spirit euen as ye are called all in one hope of your calling one Lord one Faith one Baptisme one God and Father of all which is aboue all and through all and in you all So that whatsoeuer name or power is ascribed to anyone peculiar person of the Trinity the same is meant of the whole Trinity The Father is called the Spirit of God the Sonne the Spirit of God and the Holy Ghost the Spirit of God yea the Father is the Spirit of him of whom S. Paul speakes that raised vp Iesus from the dead the Sonne is that Spirit that raised himselfe and the Holy Ghost the same Spirit The Sonne is the Father and the Holy Ghost is in the Father the Sonne is the euerlasting Father This the Prophet witnesseth when as hee names Christ the mighty God and euerlasting Father But when they are seuerally named or distinguished into persons that sense or morall is to be vnderstood parable-wise as including the mysteries of our saluation which our humane capacities cannot otherwise rightly apprehend For euen as a Prince in his prudence loue an I wisedome and for the more honorable establishment of his Monarchy or Kingdome authorizeth his sonne and some other as his Chancelour to impart his lawes vnto his subiects and to gouerne them in order whereby their power becommeth equall so let vs conceiue that the glorious Trinity is but one Diuine and essentiall power all alike all equall and of one authority onely for the glory of the Godhead and for the mysterie of our Redemption the Trinity is really distinguished to the view of the inward man whose wil is stirred vp to meditate vpon the personall relation of their functions and offices which they deriue one to another But how shall we discerne who is possessed with the Holy Ghost To be possessed with the Holy Ghost is as much to sâ—y as to be possessed with the giftes of the Holy Ghost namely with saith humility and other Diuine gifts Of these his gifts some are visible some inâ—isible some abundant some restrained With the former the Apostles and Prophets were miraculously inspired with the latter all we who according to our Christian profession doe protest to fight in this life against the world the flesh and the Deuill doe hope to be possessed through grace according to the measure of Christs gift The branch that drawes not iuyce and life out of this spirituall Vine is adiudged dead for what amity can there be betwixt light and darkenesse betwixt life and death The chiefest gift of the Holy Ghost is saith which is a spirituall light enlightning our liues with the Gospell with the beames of good workes causing vs to loue all men after his owne example who communicates his Sunne to the iust and vniust And if we may lawfully boast of any gifts of the Holy Ghost ingraffed by his powerfull Maiesty in our hearts then surely may wee glory of our Illummation wherwith we are enlightned vndeseruedly in these daies Neither is it possible for vs in these dayes to obtaine a more visible measure of spirituall gifts by reason that our mindes are captiuated vnto coueteousnesse enuie and other vncleane thoughts by reason that our bodies are pampered with gluttony drunkennesse eating and drinking without appetite or necessity and by reason that we dare not in respect of these pollutions and of our vnworthinesse communicate one with another the Lords holy Supper but very seldome whereby the gifts of the Holy Ghost might be multiplied and increased in vs. As long as we are carnal and worldly minded our soules are farre from these gifts of the Spirit which the Apostle likewise calles the fruits of the Spirit as loue ioy peace long suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meekenesse and temperance They that are Christs doe endeuour to follow his Fathers will And what is the will of the Father Euen our sanctification and vnion in the Spirit For euen as the carnall coniunction of man and wife makes of them one flesh so the spirituall coniunction of Christ and the sanctified soule makes of them one spirit so they that are vnited in the Spirit are vnited in their willes and they that are vnited in their willes are vnited in their actions They that follow Christs actions doe labour in all humility to attaine vnto these gifts of the Holy Ghost But first they must tame their bodies with fasting And here I giue you one note worthy the consideration that whereas S. Paul in all his Epistles makes often mention and sendeth often salutations in the name of the Father and of the Sonne not ioyning the Holy Ghost in plaine litterall wordes with them he doth it because it was the Holy Ghost himselfe that spake through the mouth of Paul in those Epistles And whatsoeuer he wrote he wrote by commandement and inspiration of the Holy Ghost whose office and function was to signifie vnto the Church the will of the other two persons in Trinity So that the naming of the Holy Ghost was needlesse while the Elect vnderstand that it was He which spake and that Paul was no other then as Moyses to God or as Baruch to Ieremy that is the Notary or Scribe of the Spirit and as it is else-where specified a chosen vessell This himselfe protested in these words If any man thinke himselfe a Prophet or spirituall let him know that the things which I write vnto you are the commandements of the Lord. There is no sinne more detestable nor more difficult to be forgiuen then the sinne against this Spirit of God Dost thou wantonly detract from God the Father and denie thine owne and the worlds creation by his omnipotent word Search the Scriptures repeale thy detractions and vpon thy recantation thou shalt receiue remission Dost thou blaspheme the Sonne of the euer-liuing God and belie his Incarnation his Passion his Resurrection Reade ouer the new Testament remember to compare the same in an euen ballance with the Prophesies of Esay and the rest of the Lords holy Legates and it may be thine eyes will be opened and thou wilt renounce thine errours by the bright light of the holy Spirit But
worship thee But blest art thou for all my blasphemie All honour be to thee O veritie Bright light of loue one God in vnitie And persons three in orders Trinity Which canst me free from all such vanity When it shall please thy gracious Maiesty My soule to veile with thy boundlesse bounty Though speech be winde and Schoolemens quantity Void of true sense void of true quality Yet when the same doth thy sweet lawes transcend Lord let my babling light on Babels end But for my soule let no fond Oracles Her substance spill nor stand as obstacles Eternally to blinde her spectacles Which thou hast clear'd by thy words miracles THE THIRD CIRCLE OF THE SPIRIT OF DETRACTION CONIVRED AND CONVICTED LINEAMENT I. 1 The nature of the spirit of Detraction 2 His obiections 3 The Authours answere 4 The description of Detraction 5 His Companions 6 His Paradoxes 7 Abriese consutation AMong such troupes of wicked spirits which beleaguer the sinfull sonnes of Adam none of them is so pernitious as this viperous spirit of Detraction for by this turbulent motioÌ„ Pluto himselfe being an Angell of glory lost his former state and likewise wee worldly weakelings deserue our Creators curse vpon your selues and posterities Behold yee brainsicke blabs licentious libertines behold your famous familiar your spirit of Detraction coniured and connâ—cted in a Circle without crosses without Masses without holy water without pots of good liquor or pipes of Tobacco the only moderne motiue of malicious Detraction and that by no meaner weapons then by the mysticall weapons of Michaell and Michea the powerfull Oracles of the great God O what an vnaccustomed coniuration is this New Lords new lawes masse-monging manacled Diuels discouered And dare you câ—nuict the auncient spirit of Detraction which by successiue tradition descended vnto vs well nigh a thousand yeares agoe euen about the very time when the Pope and Mahomet bought their puissant patents this for the East from the detracting Dragon the other for the West from his Eagles wing the Emperour Phocas Dare you vilifie the soueraignty of Bacchus and Tobacco and aduenture to coniure vp such an omnipotent Spirit as that of Detraction without these belching belly-Gods Which our swintsh swaggerers extoll now-a dayes on the behalfe of this spirit as chiefe purgers of superfâ—uous rheumes preparatiues of heauenly dreames visions oracles and supernaturall reuelations Then farewell kinde neighbour-hood farewell good fellowship farewell table-talke farewell descanning of destinies farewell all trencher-knights and readers of other mens actions As the body is nourished with good liquor the bones with marrow so is the soule of man with the perfume of Diuine Tobacco and with the perfusion of Detracting taunts Take away these two the cause and the effect the substance and the shadow what is mans life but a drie discourse a solitary Ghost mortified with melancholy Veritas non quaerit angulos The way of truth is plaine without turnings I feare not to lay downe the truth were my brother a Tobacconist a Wine-bibber or a false Prophet Amicus Socrates amicus Plato sed magis amica veritas Socrates is my friend Plato is my friend but Truth is my chiefest friend The excessiue taking of Tobacco together with drunken fellowship renew the forces of the Detracting spirit and likewise doe kindle the fire that was couertly raked afore vnder the ashes for his malicious humour Which to describe is an embezeling of anothers glory a wrongfull withdrawing of anothers power and a blasphemous censure inuented and blazed abroad touching the Creator or his creature which eyther may be termed a kinde of scurrility or knauish carping carpendi effusa licentia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or else a doubling of the Dogs letter Rout of their snarling nostrils To this I might adde that they offend against the third Commandement namely Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vaine and also against the ninth Commandement Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy neighbour which subiect themselues vnto this kinde of Spirit In the company of this wicked spirit as I said before many other spirits consort such as our Countrey-men call boone companions yea more spirits then euer molested Mary Magdalen The spirit of blasphemy as the shadow vpon the body chiefely awaites vpon him and shares with him for the pretious soule of man So doe the spirit of enuy the spirit of hatred and sundry other poysonous messengers of the common enemy the Diuell all ready sophistically to proue the idle phantasics and imaginations of shallow braines Would you coelo deducere Lunam draw the Moone down from heauen or the starres from the skie The spirit of Detraction with his mates make for you The Moone is descended and hath kist Endimion while he lay asleepe The starres be fallen and a company of drunkards at their taking of Tobacco beheld them According to that of the Poet Cum bibitir conchis hinc iam vertigine coelum Ambulat geminis exurgit mensa lucernis When wines are drunk then heauen whirleth round And candles two on boord for one abound There are Incubi which haue lien with faire women and tempted them ere now to plant Actaeons badge on their husbands foreheads Merlin your Brittish Bardh sometimes possested with the spirit of prophesie was a bastard begotten betwixt a goodly young Diuell and a goodly young Gentlewoman At old Carmarthen Merlins famous towne Nay more the Arch-Diuel hath gotten the Popes power he hath gotten the keyes of Heauen he hath authority to binde to loose to diminish the paines of hell to grant Indulgences and Pardons for one and twenty yeares of all manner of mortall sinnes he powreth downe raine amaine at his pleasure he terrifies the world with thunders lightnings and earthquakes Cornelius Agrippa is a great man in his books vseth him for his familiar and by coniurations commands the clouds and makes the Planets executioners to plague his aduersaries O monstrous blasphemie O preposterous absurditie Will any man of vnderstanding giue credite to these Idolatrous Detractions God himselfe questioning with Iob out of the Whirle-winde vtterly denies that Diuine authority to any creature Canst thou said he send the lightnings that they may walke and say vnto thee Lo here we are If Baal be God then goe after him but if the Lord be God why tempt you his patient Spirit in ascribing his dreadfull power vnto his Enemy that darkesome deadly Fiend which cannot helpe himselfe or act the least matter of importance Elias in annulling of Baals power manifested him onely to be God which answered by heauenly fire The Diuell fighteth with none other weapons then with deceit With deceitfull malice he stung Christ while he was on earth and with the selfe same weapons he stinges Christians Christ in his members now that he is in Heauen With deceit he tempted Eue and with deceit he persecuteth the woman of God the Church of Christ
hath appointed to be the head of your Corporation Whether they be Iewes or Gentiles Scottish Walsh or Irish bond or free so that they concurre with you in the same Religion see that yee loue them as your selues and let not the Diuell separate those whom God hath ioyned together Perhaps the Idiome of their speech their thicke pronounciation displeaseth your delicate cares because like Ephramites they cannot so distinctly vtter your filed shibboleth because they cannot runne away with their words so glibâ— so smooth nor so elegantly as your selues After this manner did the Athenians inuaigh against Anacharsis that famous Sâ—ythian but what answere did hee retort them Speeches ought not to be termed bad while they comprehended good counsels while honest deeds accompanied their words This also the Apostle corroborates requiring Preachers not to come with excellency of words to shew the testimony of God vnto the people And this hee proues by a diuine reason intimating that the word of God consisteth not in the enticing words of mens wisedâ—me but in the euidence of the spirit and of power But these scruples are too triuiall for men of vnderstanding Away then with such idle phantasies Away with such Panick peeuish doubts Blesse we the Authour of our Vnion which hath incorporated two Christian Kingdomes constituting an eternall league of amitie betwixt vs by his own personall presence by the Maiestie of his birth so that wee may boldly bid S. George S. Andrew S. Dauid S. ' Patricke to auaunt Auaunt Adieu ye sinnefull Saints and in their stead come come thou the onely true and sacred Saint Lord Iesus to whom all other Saints doe crowch and kneele for mercy Our Cambrian cause comes next For the same reason embrace our plaine societie speake well of vs the poore remnants of the ancient Britaines and let not the Prophecies of our Bardhs dismay your generous mindes that we one day shal Lord it in Troy-nouant measuring your silken Stuffes vpon our warlike ' Pikes that we shall worke our full reuenge for that dismall and bloudy long-kniu'd day These Prophecies are already expired but in a mysticall manner Haue not diuers of our Nation beene elected Mayors in your chiefe Cities and so triumphed for their due deserts I will not say how Austen the Monk subiected your Ancestours to the Romisâ— yoake how Swaine with his Danes and William with his Normanes swayed ouer your persons goods and lands how your owne members haue beene torne among your selues through ciuil discord when York and Lancaster set vp their flags of red and white Roses Ambo pares rosulas pila minantia pilis Though these misfortunes of yours might well satisfie a reuengefull spirit yet will not I insist on such cruell Augurismes but rather reioyce that vnder the same Prince vnder the same Lawes the same Liberties wee ioyne together in our spirituall offices I reioyce that the memoriall of Offaes Ditch is extinguished with loue and Charitie that our greene Leekes sometimes offensiue to your daintie nostrils are now tempred with your fragrant Roses that like the Gibeonites we are vnited and graffed into Israel God giue vs grace to dwell together without enuy without Detractions LINEAMENT VIII 1 The Spirit of Detraction conuicted in Aduocates and Counsellours at Law for putting on a good face on bad causes 2 The Authours resolution on the behalfe of honest Lawyers IT is no small slander in our Christian Corporation when our Aduocates and Counsellours at Law for the greedinesse of a little worldly mucke doe put their tongues to sale and polish their wits purposely to colour a foule cause with faire speaches to make that seeme tolerable before the Tribunall seate of Iustice which they in their Consciences know to be intolerable This in very deed is a scandall to the Weale-publike to the Spirit of God which through the Prophets mouth thundred out this terrible curse against such lewde practisers Cursed be yee which speake good of euill and euill of good This kinde of dealing is likewise rebuked by the Wiseman Hee that iustifieth the wicked and hee that condemneth the iust they both are abhominable vnto God For certainely were it not that these Instruments of Sathan did patronize our enuious aduersaries by backing them in their base proiects they durst not beard the Sonnes of Iustice so long as they doeâ—nay were it not that they so boldly bolster and beare out ill matters the reuerend Iudges of this Land need not lose halfe so many nights of sleepe turmoyling their braines in the search of truth least they wrong the partie innocent Whereto I might adde how these wainescot Lawyers in concealing and couering the carriage of such lewde members doe aggrauate and augment the nature of their sinnes which otherwise through the prickles of flesh bloud through the smart of shame they would forgo submitting themselues to the rod of correction For there is no better remedie to kill sinne and cure the soule then to suffer the sinner to sustaine for his sinne some punishment by shame griefe or other meanes What auailes it me to gaine a world of wealth and within a short while after to leaue behind mee both my wealth and this world Better it is to sup a messe of pottage with securitie then to feede on the daintiest cates with hazard Admit that Clients load me with golden fees for setting out a brazen face on damned causes Admit that all my life time I haue glutted my gut vvith fruit of Paradise yet if I dare not appeare in the presence of God but am forced to hide my selfe as where can I hide my selfe from his All seeing Maiestie and to howle for very feare and anguish yee mountaines fall vpon me yee Rockes couer me what shall my fees and fruit then profit me what good shall I get by them vvhen Death dogges me at the heeles when my pulses shall faintly beat my sences faile and my eye-lids shut neuer more to open vntill they shall see the gates of new Ierusalem shut fast against their wretched Maister O remember this all yee that leane to Mammâ—n all yee that loue shadowes better then substance and falshood better then Truth For mine owne part though I am but young yet I haue obserued somewhat I know as many trickes and quillets to entangle men as another doth I know diuers meanes to circumuent them that happily thinke themselues as wise as my selfe like vnto that Italian which boasted he knew so many deuises to get money as there be dayes in the yeare but I protest before him that made me I would chuse to be murthered rather then to vse them in my greatest need Such is the resolution of my soule or as a friend of mine lately termed it the tendernesse of my Conscience that I fouly scorne to play the part of a mercenarie Mechaniâ—ke with my brother in Christ. I fouly scorne to nourish contentions for mine owne aduantage For how dare I claime my selfe to
whereto the neerer that they be the nobler is their birth as men newly borne and pertakers of loue charitie faith and of other spirituall ornaments that goe beyond all the symbolized ensignes of temporall Heralds Out of vvhich circumstances collect O Christian soule this one Embleme diuinely embellished The neerer to true Charitie The neerer to Nobilitie Howsoeuer these fly-blowes of the spirit of Detraction be allowed or disallowed to blazon armes it is the part of a Magistrate to beare a Lyons heart that he shrinke not in iust causes nor respect the magnificall thunders of the spirit of Detraction more then the prostrate petitions of the spirit of humilitie Be he Midas or be hee Codrus be hee noble or be hee base Iustice must take place Therefore the Poets record that Iustice hath neither father nor mother likewise they report that Iuno through her wealth Venus through her beautie Mars through his threats and Mercurie through his eloquence hauing all of them conspired against Iupiter and yet not able to thrust him out of heauen implied no other sence or morall thereby then that a man of vertue could by no meanes either for wealth beautie threates or eloquence be diuerted or turned aside from Iustice. It is the part of a Magistrate to vse that Royall vertue Magnanimitie for his chiefest support against detracting Hamans and deprauing Semeies and as a learned Bishop of Portugall describes a magnanimous man though he see all the world eagerly bent against him and though he see euery thing round about set on fire yet hee through an assured confidence will continue constant It is the part of a Magistrate to imitate that resolute Iudge in Henry the fourths time which feared not to commit into the Kings Bench victorious Henry Prince of Wales rather then those Officers of iniustice vvhom another King of England vpon his returne from outlandish Countries displaced from their high commands after their examinations by vertuous Earles or then these corrupt Iudges whom Cambyses caused to be flayed and their skinnes as monuments of terrour to be hanged vp in the fore-front of his Palace It is the part of a Magistrate to esteeme the vvindie detractions of licentious Libertines who with presumptuous language dare brute abroad that they can by their supposed familiaritie with noble personages vncommission or to vse their owne words vnsaddle any Iustice of his Iustice ship I say it is his part to esteeme such derogatorie speaches no otherwise then for brauadoes of a brided braine or bragging vaunts of vpstart groomes onely to daunt pusillanimous Meacocks vvhich neuer saw the Lyons in the Tower nor vnderstand the truescope at which the state of England aimes Euen as I neuer knew any man in all my life despised for his silence and sparing speach so likewise I neuer knew any man degraded of his authoritie for his zealous endeauours on the Kings behalfe Wherefore let this stand for a watch-word to our Countrey Iustices that they be not terrified from well-doing with the swaggering on-sets of craking Crocodiles Let them put on the armour of patience and the spirit of Detraction will in time burst asunder like the Babilonians God Let them but for a while stand still and these Thrasonicall Rhodomontes will voluntarily surrender vp the cudgels Their nature is to begin as men and to end as women to come in as thunder and to goe out as smoke to boast of loftie things at first and to faint at last vnder their owne burthen For truth is great and will preuaile Then feare not yee proud Hamans wrath for ye execute not the iudgements of man but of God as King Iehosaphat encouraged his Iudges Ye need not doubt of your Priace his countenance as long as ye walk vprightly and as long as Fame the worlds great Trumpetour sounds out that noble distick in your commendations Nec prece nec pretio nec pondere diuitis aurâ— Nec quicquam tumidis flectitur ille minis Nor with faire words nor with rich bribing gold They moued are nor yet with threatnings bold Wherein then can they harme you In vncharitable lectures in rayling in reuiling in reuealing their owne dregs and as the Apostle writes In foming out their owne shame like the raging waues of the sea Let this be the vpshot of all your thoughts as I said before that no man vvhatsoeuer can escape the tempests of detracting tongues It is an antient adage that a barking dogge seldome bites and that the deepest riuers runne with least noise vvhy will yee therefore doubt these clattering clappers Aboue all things I could wish that those whom the Kings Matestie by the recommendation of his graue Counsell golden mâ—uthed Nestors and sage Chrysostomes hath nominated to sit in the tribunall throne of Iustice that they behaue themselues with more ciuilitie in their ordinarie speaches towards the inferiour family of Christs Church not nick-naming the vilest wretch seeing that such deserue rather to be pitied or else punished after some other way Michaell the Archangell reuiled not the Diuell albeit that he was worthy of millions of curses and of a world of taunts If wee be Tyrants towards our inferiours what sauours ought wee to expect at the hands of our chiefe Superiour which regardeth an humble contrite minde more then all the sacrifices in the vvorld and vvhich confounds all haughty hot-spurres in their owne imaginations and vaine deuises To be short imprint yee this lesson firmely in your hearts Cum sueris Iudex miti sis corde memâ—nto Dicito quae possint dicta decereseneim Be milde and meeke in Iudgement seat And speake no words in Passions heat But as a graue and auntient Iudge Speake without wrath speake without grudge LINEAMENT X. 1 That a true Christian ought not to detract from the Iudges of his Countrey though they wrong him 2 That no mortall man liues exempted from man fold crosses 3 What vexations besall to Iudges themselues DEtract not from the Iudges of thy Countrey though they behaue themselues not so cleanly in their offices as they ought But perswade thy quiet conscience that the highest Iudge beholdeth their corruptions from his heauenly Pharos or Watch-towre of knowledge and that sometime or other vvhen it shall seeme best vnto his prouident Maiestie hee vvill eyther plague them by immediate iudgements from heauen or else hee will raise vp some sinister fortune here on earth in reuenge of their enormious liues for this is a principall maxime in Diuinitie that euery Creature is offended with vs when our Creator is offended vvith vs. Offenso Creatore offenditur omnis Creatura As long as thou sweepest and keepest thine owne closet neat and cleane and carriest thy conscience vvithout guilt or guile what matters it to thee how other men demeane themselues Cannot rich men weare what new-fangled apparrell best likes their franticke fancie thou must onely accompt for thine owne Bailiwick The number of the vniust haue euer exceeded the