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state_n	church_n	civil_a	commonwealth_n	1,637	5	9.2456	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19411	A treatise against traitors Meete for all faithfull subiects in these dangerous dayes. Taken out of the 40. chapter of Ieremye, the 13, 14, 15, 16. verses, and 41. 1, 2, 3, 4. Made and published for the benefite of the Church and common wealth of England: by Samuell Cottesford Minister and publique preacher of the woord of God.	Cottesford, Samuel.	1591 (1591)	STC 5840; ESTC S116422	48,076	146

Pro. 4. 7. Wisedome is the beginning get wisedome therefore aboue all thy possession get vnderstanding Exalte her and she shall exalte thee she shal bring thee to honor if thou imbrace her Otherwise if thou with Absolon a Kings Sonne of the seede royall and practise the like trecherye shalt abandon from thee all duetye to God to Prince to Father setting thy delights onely vpon brauery trechery villany and all manner of impietye like to this Ishmaell who was notable in his wickednes delighting thy selfe in thy self and thy curled locks a most mōstrous thing in these our daies but of late in comparison by the way to speake in a word being growne into custome euen with those of religion Whereof heare not me but th'appostle Paule 1. Cor. 11. 14. who saith Doth not nature it selfe teach you that if a man haue long haire it is a shame vnto him And if the spirite of God call a thing euil shal we pleade against it and say it is good I tell thee God wil make thee though thou be neuer so faire proper and comely with Absolon vile ignominious and reprochfull to alages after of which like traiterous Absolons amongst vs God hath of late yeeres discouered some and made them an example of his iudgementes to all posterities to come after vs. And thus much of that he is said to be of the seede royall whom nobilitie of birth nothing auailed vnto honestie true honor who rather shewed himselfe a bastard from Israel yea an enemie to it as it were some Canaanite or Amorit for indeed by cōuersing with Baalish in stead of being a true Iewe borne he became a changeling in trāsforming himselfe into an Ammonite as appeareth by his monstrous impietie and that in a verye shorte time as the text saith In the seauenth moneth which was no long time after the taking of the Cittie and burning of the Temple murthering of the Nobles and butchering vp the people all this miserie with the dishonour of his King and the shamefull handling of his Sonnes had this vnnaturall beast merciles tirant forgot setting his mind vpon no other matter but blood and how to doe some cheate to be aduaunced by hauing vtterlye forgotten the Law of his God in so short space Further when it is said that 10. men came with him such as were principall persons about King Zedekiah that had conueied themselues out of the way with this archtraitor vntill they might finde a fit time for the compassing of their trechery he the principall of the faction hauing once madeaway Gedaliah the plot being so laide before was to be made gouernour the other tenne of his retinue that came with him were also to doo their exploits vpon other and they hauing euerye one as young princes appointed themselues to the best offices vnder him such factious heads lightlye goe not alone such as Solomon speaketh of Pro. 1. 11. Come say they with vs we will lay weight for bloud and lay priuilye for th'innocent without a cause 12. we will swallowe them vp quick like a graue euen whole as those that goe downe to the pit 13. We shall finde all precious riches and fill our houses with spoile 14. Cast thy lot amongst vs we wil al haue one pursse For indeede such is the disposition of wickednes and wicked men that they doe desire all other to be like to themselues a theefe desires a companion in his theft a brasen fac'd whore desires that all women were of her disposition so indeede might the deuill carrye away both th'one and th'other and truely we had neede praye against the corruption of our nature for euen as drie chippes doo easilye take fire so our nature is by prouocation easilye drawen into wickednes and if we doe not yeelde to the sinnes of the most vile as vnto open whordome open theft open villany open papistry open treason whence is it that we are so restreined being of the same nature with the most wicked Let vs not reioyce ouer th'impieties of other men and thence take occasion to be proud in our selues but rather let vs with the Apostle learne and beare away this lesson Let him that standeth take heede he fall not It is God by his power that hath kept vs otherwise had we bin lost to our selues we had and haue a nature as prone to the most vile sinne as any whatsoeuer and truely this age of Libertines affoords too too many eggers and entisers vnto wickednes of all kindes and especiallye of factious and seditious persons which are growne into companies cloking and couering their wickednes as Ishmael did as it is to see in the 6. verse following with a vehement whotte zeale in religion busie heads of diuers sortes there are some buzie headed papists some busie headed protestants some busie headed Atheists neuer in any age so ful of busie heads some busie themselues in matters of state some in matters of the Church though such are to be had whom properly it concernes in church and commonwealth in the Church the Bishops ministers and Church gouernours in Common wealth the Magistrates and ciuill Officers and in both Church and Common wealth as the head ouer the bodye Princes and sole Gouernours as is before saide of them as for other men more priuate called to no one office but by intrusion it may be saide Ne sutor vltra crepidam Euerye man let him walke in that care of life wherin he liueth and not being calde to preach Christ but to professe him let him holde his profession in all singlenes of hart and in all loue towardes men But the busie heads that are plodding euery way for worldlye commoditye laying plots making shiftes casting a thousand waies to maintain this life wretched though it be how many of this sorte of busie headed persons a good Arithmetitian to finde out the number shalgreatly be troubled of al these sorts of busiheads al in general are too too busie in reforming others but where is the head that is busied sufficiently as it should be in reforming himself I may not vse too lōg a digression in speaking of these Ishmael his companions in euill it followes they came to Gedahah and there they did eate bread together in Mizpah where who will say to the contrary but that these iolly fellows comming to Court it out in their brauerye to shew their fidelitie to Gedaliah forsooth but that they meant all good to him their Governour Besides by the way mark the difference betweene these ill disposed persons and Gedaliah he notwithstanding he were but of a base and meane condition no otherwise esteemed off then before this his aduauncement yet he knowes how to beare himselfe towards all degrees as princes fellowes hee receiues them intertaines them and admits them to his owne table a meane borne man so sodainelye aduaunced and of so rare vertues so full of curtesie and clemencye and the other comming of a Princes stocke and therefore consequentlye not

belike then were like to these daies now wherin though a man be knowne to be a most filthye person a bloody murtherer a sorcerer an idolator yea a traitor too perhaps some one or other in a land wil in this interim of iustice not spare and that to become a most earnest suter for him and therefore saith Iohanan giue me authoritie seale my commission let me but goe and I will runne to dispatche such a monster Now followe the reasons of his zealous demaund of iustice at Gedaliahs handes which are two The first a reason expostulatorye from the danger the Prince himselfe stood in these words Wherefore should he kill thee The second drawne from the danger of the whole bodie of the Iewes in these woordes That all the Iewes which are gathered to thee should be scattered and the remnant in Judah perish First then mark the speech of Iohanan who seeing the Arch traitor to be in such credit dooth expostulate the matter with the Prince and in a chiding manner dooth take him vp very roundly still bisseuering his accusation to be iust Wherefore should he kill thee how absurde a thing is this that thou so wilfullye standest in art thou wearye of thy welfare art thou wearye of thy life and of the liues of thy people wilt thou holde thy throate while this villaine cut it why should he doo it and he will doo it assure thy selfe of it if being in time forewarned thou do not preuēt him A great matter it was that drew this faithfull subiect to deale thus earnestlye with the Prince wherin men are taught of all sortes that shall vpon the like occasion concerning the Prince the church or common wealth hauing accesse and conference vpon matters in extremety with princes especiallye those in good place whither of ciuile or ecclesiasticall calling when they shall see in them a wilfull standing in matters against the state of themselues their people to the danger of both that they are so much the more boldely to deale with thē although therby they shall draw vpon thē for the present the seuere displeasure of the Prince But some may obiect against this Salomon his words Pro. 20. 2. The feare of the King is like the roaring of a Lyon he that prouoketh him vnto anger sinneth against his own soule I saye indeede with Salomon that regarde is to be had that in any wise at no time ne vpon any occasion any Subiect doo growe into tearmes of collor with the prince which to doo is flat against the law of God as I noted before and by common reason vnlawfull considering that Princes although they fauourablye and of their owne free grace admit a certaine familiaritie betweene themselues and some subiectes yet equality within their owne territories they will not with any person admit How then maye the question still be may we discharge a good duty towardes them if so be they be rashe and furious not abiding to heare what is meet to be done The way is not to vse Machiauels pollicie as before I teached which is to flatter or else to say nothing how dangerouslye so euer all softnesse meekenesse and most reuerent submisse maner knowing this to be true that the same wise man in the 25. 15. sayth A Prince is pacified by staying of anger and a soft tongue breaketh bones and indeede we may sooner obtayn at the hands of Princes though angry by pacience that thing which otherwise by a forceable withstanding ofthem wee shoulde neuer obtaine And in this place very fittely may I bring in that I omitted but as parenthetically to insert it by the way that is although men must regarde in all reuerence and feare howe and what speeches they passe against a Prince and so to restrayne both speeches and thoughtes yea so as that they may not suffer their mindes to be carryed into an ill conceite against the person of their King or Queene yet neyther is it my meaning neyther then was to restrayne the libertie of Gods ministers in deliuering their Messages frō God to the face and before Princes neither yet to giue incouragement vnto flatterie which God forbid for to proceede in the forme of this expostulatorie speech In the like manner did the Prophet Jsaiah deale with the king Hezekiah when he in pride and vanitie of minde did shew the riches and strength of his lande to the straunge Princes of Babell Merodach Baladam the sonne of Baladam King of Babell his seruants who brought but letters and a present from the King to Hezekiah wherein the Prophet doth in an expostulating manner with him deale very roundly hauing the King vppon an examination as it were that thereby he might make a way for the declaring of Gods iudgementes against the lande for this act done by the King Then came Jsaiah the Prophet vnto King Hezekiah and sayde vnto him what sayde these men and from whence come they to whome the King disdeyned not to answere but Hezekiah sayde they are come from a farre Countrey vnto me euen from Babell Then sayde hee what haue they seene in thine house c. Thus roūdly dealt Eliah with Achab when hee slewe Naboth for his vineyeard Hast thou killed and also gotten a possession c. For euen vnto Kings and Princes hath the Lord made his Prophets spokesmē from him as is to see in the first of his Prophecie For J beholde I this day haue made thee a defended Cuie and an yron pillar and wals of brasse against the whole lande against the Kinges of Iudah and against the Princes thereof Howe much more then lawefull and easie for Iohanan and all neere vnto Princes is it to be bolde yea sometimes besides ordinarie to debate with and to stande against the Prince beeing wilfully set in a matter which they knowe in their conscience to be quite contrarie to equitie and iustice and to make especially against their owne persons And thus much for the manner of expostulating the matter with L Deputie Now to the second reason drawne from the perils and daungers whereinto the people of Iewes are like to fal in these wordes And the Iewes which are gathered vnto thee be scattered and the remnant in Judah perish Wherein this especially is taught that as subiects are to be from all contempt and treacheries towardes their Gouernours neither in thought consenting nor in act yet practising any euill that might be offered to the preiudising of the state of their persons and kingdomes but contrariwise as they are in all duty to honor which is to loue feare obey care and prouide for all thinges meete for the state of their royalties so on the other side Princes are tyde and bound by the equitie and iustice of this commaundement to doe all that may be for the comfort peace preseruation of their subiectes for for this end God hath placed them in his owne roome on earth that they might be the preseruers of them from perils and daungers at home