Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	according_a	church_n	doctrine_n	2,019	5	6.0761	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05382	The historie of the defendors of the catholique faith Discoursing the state of religion in England, and the care of the politique state for religion during the reignes of King Henrry 8. Edward. 6. Queene Marie. Elizabeth. And our late souereigne, King Iames. ... With all, declaring by what means these kings & queenes haue obtained this title, defendor of the faith, and wherein they haue deserued it ... By Christopher Lever.	Lever, Christopher, fl. 1627.; Hulsius, Friedrich van, b. 1580, engraver.	1627 (1627)	STC 15537; ESTC S108541	141,977	384

proceeding both of them apprehending euery little circumstance of hope either in the King himselfe his Nature or fortunes Fiftly But the mercie of God which had wonderfully protected the Kings Maiestie in safetie and prosperous fortune against many dangerous practises did not now leaue him vnassisted but in this businesse of most important consideration lead him to an end full of honourable merit God giuing him so much of the wisdome of his Spirit whereby he was able to iudge and determine this maine Controuersie and whereby hee was able to iudge betweene light and darknes Truth and falsehood Order and disorder Religion and Idolatrie And according to this holy iudgement did the King in his election make particular choice confirming the doctrine of true Religion and the commendable order which in the Church hee found established and confuting by the iudgement of his owne mouth both these all the other enemies of Truth and order whatsoeuer Thus nobly prepared did his Maiestie defend the Catholike Faith against these two great enemies enemies both of them for the Papist hee is enemie to the Faith and the Puritan is enenemie to the peace of the Catholike Church enemies both yet not both alike enemies yet both dangerous and of much conuenience to bee opposed by the Defendor of the Catholike Faith the which his Maiestie did to his great commendation and to the honour of Almighty God For the Puritan first the order of the Kings gratious proceeding in this businesse is well knowne to the world by what lenity and fauourable meanes hee laboured to accord their disagreements and to vnite them to the peace and concord of the Church from which they had deuided themselues For though by the power of his high place he might haue forced their obedience and haue vsed the seueritie of correction and seuere Iustice yet would hee not knowing how stiffe and wilfull they were in their opinion and therefore to gaine them his Maiestie was content to vse any meanes to put off Maiestie and the authority of Greatnesse and in his owne person to giue their cause a fauourable hearing and himselfe to moderate and iudge their disputations and therefore were they allowed to make choice of the best able men among them to defend their opinion against whom were appointed of the Reuerend Bishops of this Land to answer and to satisfie their arguments in the hearing and determining of which Controuersie his Maiestie did declare himselfe to vnderstand as much in Religious Learning as the greatest Doctor in that presence he himselfe confuting and confounding all pretended reason alledged against the conuenient orders of the Church whereby at that time hee declared how well able hee was to defend the quarrell of Faith and Religion against all the Learning in the world And thus did the King discend his Maiestie to satisfie the peeuish obstinacie of the Puritan faction And whereas it is obiected that these proceedings against the Puritans did animate and incourage the Papist an enemie of greater importance and that it was euill order to begin reformation with the Puritans and to let the Papist passe as an enemie not regarded I answer the order was good and most conuenient and answerable to the rule of God himselfe For iudgement beginneth at the house of God and it is most needfull for him that would profitably reforme others first to reforme himselfe Sixthly And the body of this kingdome hauing the disease of disobedience in the chiefe memebers thereof it was orderly and most necessarie first to respect this care at home and then to intend businesse further of neither could the Papist bee incouraged by this for they might well know that if the King fauoured not the lesse he would not fauour the greater enemie and if he corrected the Puritan with rods he would whip them with scourges And for the Papist howsoeuer the Kings Maiesty did vse them with as much fauourable regard as any Prince in the world would his enemies yet was there a watchfull eye had to their proceedings and so strict a hand was held ouer them as to distinguish them from friends the Gouernours of State being most carefull to preuent whatsoeuer might be by them attempted not doing ought against them which might any way prouoke them to any vnlawfull practise Seuenthly and this was vpon good consideration because the Recusants in England had not yet attempted ought against the Kings person and State and therefore was it his Religious wisedome not to punish before they had offended nor with strict seuerity to restraine them before they had made some treasonable attempt whereby the proceedings against them might be the more iustifiable before the whole face of Christendome But they not content with much vnlesse they might haue all conspire the most damnable treason that euer by men or diuels was inuented the report whereof for the rarenesse is spread ouer all the world For at one blow they purposed to smite off the heads of all the honourable in this Nation all the Heads because all the Gouernours both principall and subordinate and all the Honourable because almost all the wise and Reuerend in the Kingdome should at one Blow haue perished Eighthly now how this Treason might haue offended a King disposed to Reuenge let the most patient minded in the world iudge it but how it did moue the Kings impatience or how his Maiestie reuenged it let the most enuious Papist iudge it For presently vpon the discouerie of this neere effected Treason the king by his Proclamations declared that he had no purpose to lay their offence vpon their generall cause of Religion nor that his Iustice should reach further then to the offendors themselues wherein hee gaue assurance of safetie to all such Recusants as in all other respects saue Religion were dutifull Subiects And though for the better security of the king and State there were some Statutes enacted for the better preuenting of the like dangers yet were they verie mercifull and farre from the Nature of Reuenge tending onely to defend and not to offend the quiet of any peaceable Subiect Ninthly And whereas the Oath of Allegiance is by many thought verie grieuous it is strange that any Christian iudgement should so thinke and that any man should dare to condemne that which God so highly commendeth and with some of their best Learned both allow as lawfull and haue aduisedly taken the which because it is by others largely disputed I passe ouer Tenthly Now the king to adde to all these Christian merits and to declare himselfe with most direct testimonies that his Princely care was principally for the Seruice of God and the aduancement of the Catholike Religion hee the Lord annointed vndertakes the quarrell of GODS cause concluding by inuincible arguments that Truth which Antichrist the Arch-enemie of the Catholike Faith had opposed These his

euen then did the King surcease from that Religious worke which with so much honorable successe he had begun Where it may seeme strange that a Prince of his greatnesse hauing the aduise of an honorable and wise councell should lay vpon his name the imputation of weakenesse not to goe forward with that whereto his honour was so much ingaged Thirdly But if we consider the time and the difference of opinions in those great men to whom the King did shew himselfe most gracious it will then appeare the businesse went forward or not according to the affection of the Kings Fauourites Fourthly As in the time of Cardinall VVolsey a man so great in the fauour of his Prince as that our English Chronicles cannot match him who in the time of his prosperity did so possesse the King as that the King may be said to saile with no winde but the Cardinalls the king being but the body to his soule he mouing it according to the pleasure of his owne appetite and therfore at this time was the king all Cardinall putting himselfe in Print to defend the Supremacie of Popes But this time did end with the Cardinals fortunes who being puft vp and high swolne with the spirit of ambition runne himselfe into strange contempts against the Maiesty of his Prince who finding him so Cardinallike in pride and vaine glory stript him of those honours which before he so lauishly had giuen him translating his fauour vpon Thomas Cranmer Arch-Bishop of Canterburie whom the king finding Religious honest and learned gaue his opinion good authority Fifthly And at this time the Protestants Religion began to haue the fauour of the Kings protection yet by reason of the peaceable Nature of this Man and because of many other important considerations of inconuenience the cause of Religion went not with that prosperity forward as otherwise it might For howsoeuer we may iustly conceiue of this learned man that he wanted neither spirit nor power to trauell in the most important affaires of State the which hee hath well declared by his resolute and learned proceedings in the Kings diuorse yet considering in what termes the State then stood and the particular condition of his State it will appeare that a necessary prouidence of his own security did inforce him to a violent patience and to silence and suppresse his zealous spirit which otherwise would haue ventured vpon much more hazard Sixthly For at this time Cranmer contrarie to the lawes then inforce was married and did liue with his wife to the great hazard of his life and this was one respect why hee suffered so much the practise of his enemies keeping good correspondence and indifferent fauour least his Mariage should be called in question whereby both his state and life had beene exposed into a danger most eminent Seuenthly And if any man obiect that these regards of Cranmer proceeded from his feare of temporall losse and that he fainted in the maine execution of his Christian Office I answer that no feare but a Christian prouidence was the cause of this warinesse For he might well know that if hee proceeded in the difference of Religion by violent and forcible meanes he should then haue had the whole power of the contrary faction bent against him and being by reason of his marriage within the danger of law it could not be auoided but the seueritie of the law should haue proceeded against him Eighthly Yet notwithstanding when the necessarie care of Religion did require him there was no respect could binde him from his earnest indeauours as may wel appeare by this most resolute opposing against the Statute of the sixe Articles So that Cranmer in true estimation hath well deserued and worthily acquitted himselfe of all imputation yet by reason of these occasions hee could not doe that which the opportunity of the Kings fauour did offer him Ninthly Vpon this aduantage Stephen Gardiner builds his strength who by obseruance and cunning insinuation shifting himselfe into the Kings fauour got great authority in the State and according to the nature of his working spirit troubles the waters of peace of fish for Romish Religion whereto in his heart he was much inclined And this man not like Cranmer but Matchiuellike grounded in the secrets of Pollicie seemes what he is not and is content to proportion himselfe to the fashions of the time with purpose to alter that fashion And this howsoeuer it were a thing very dishonest especially in the office of a Bishop yet was it a very pollitique Regard and that miste whereby he wrought all his inchantments for by his obseruance hee continued in the Kings fauour and by that fauour he erected the whole frame of his Policies Tenthly And from this cause had the sixe Articles beginning Articles so bloodie as the letters in them cannot number the blood which was shed in England for them whereby may appeare the greatnesse of Stephen Gardiners wit that could make the King sayle with a contrary winde and destroy that cause which before he had protected and this was notwithstanding Cranmer his opposite had then great fauour with the king and the highest authority and place in the kingdome Eleuenthly Another of the Kings Fauourites in those times of difference was Sir Thomas More then Lord Chancellor of England A gentleman in respect of his natural ornaments worthy of much honour for besides the beauty of his learning which in great personages is very deseruing he had so good a moderation and temper in all his actions as no aduersity could deiect him neither any prosperity make him lesse in the vse of regard and ciuill humanity And notwithstanding hee was diuers from me in that profession which I hold for truth yet because I write the truth of Historie it were very vnworthy in me to obscure the deseruings of any man into which error many others and especially such as haue recorded the passage of those times haue vnaduisedly falne traducing the persons of men for their opinions sake and making them altogether euill that in many commendable things were excellent And because that all good things are from God who giueth them according to the pleasure of his will it were therefore much iniury to obscure the goodnesse of God wheresoeuer it shall please him to place it and this I write in fauour of truth which may be well said to be the life and true mouing soule of all Historie Twelfthly This Sir Thomas Moore howsoeuer he was an enemy to the truth of the Gospell yet if we compare him with Stephen Gardiner the comparison will make Sir Thomas Moore lesse euill the other being so monstrous in his wicked practises for the one made conscience to equiuocate and dissemble himselfe of which the other made no reckoning Sir Thomas vtterly refusing the oath of Supremacie because in conscience he thought he might not take it Gardiner had the like

retyring from vertuous proceedings then the vertue is to vndertake them For wee are tempted by all reason to vndertake them but by none to leaue them Seuenthly Hee that composeth himselfe of contrarieties doth weare a monstrous Shape for humanitie and ciuill Societie is bound to the Rules of vertue as Pietie and Religion to the Rules of GOD. CHAP. VII Of the sixe Articles and the euill that thereof insued FIRST the originall cause of this euill was pretended to be a remedy against the many Sects of Religion which then began to multiply when Religion was in restoring the State whereof being vnsetled gaue occasion that many busie Spirits according to their seuerall Iudgements would diuersly determine what was the true forme of Gods Seruice and what was not whereof it came to passe that many idle and grosse opinions had many that would stifly adheare to this or that according as their blinde iudgements did direct them For it hath euer beene and euer will be the nature of the worst vnderstanding people to desire innouation and euer to affect that most which hath most singularity euer opposing the iudgement of the learned and the power of lawfull authority and this is a naturall Antipathy betweene the base and the Noble the foolish and the wise the bad and the better sort of people Secondly To cure this disease in the State of England was very needfull but the care they applyed was both vnlawfull and very preiudiciall laying such salue to the soare as made the wound wider and the griefe much more sensible For if wee remember the whole storie of King Henries Life there is not any other Act that euer passed the consent of a Parliament so dishonourable to the King and of like offence to the Catholike Faith as was this of the sixe Articles especially then when the King had set his Princely hand to the worke of reformation whereby he did in a manner disclaiming his former proceedings pulling downe the holy frame which with so much labour hee had formerly erected Thirdly Yet so strong is the power of perswasion especially in them wee trust as that oftentimes wee suffer our selues to be led to those ends that greatly disaduantage vs. And this is well seene in this Act of the Kings which in truth did altogether tend to the pleasure of euill men about him and not to his honour nor the good of his Kingdomes he being thus perswaded by Stephen Gardiner pretending thereby a prouident good but intending fire blood and persecution to the cause of Religion and to the holy Professors thereof Fourthly For these Articles whereto the King did inioyne his Subiects to confirme them were all of them contrary to the Catholike Faith of the Protestants Religion being no better then the Ladders whereby the Bishops of Rome haue ascended the stepps of reputation and worldly greatnesse some of them being for his gaine others for his regard all of them the limmes of Pollicie and none of them proportionable to the rule of the Catholike Religion And therefore was Stephen Gardiner much deceiued when hee thought to square out Truth by false Rules making these Articles to iudge who was in the Catholike Faith yet these themselues not Catholike but rather worldly inuentions and trickes of Pollicie The first auowing Transubstantiation a doctrine as new as the name and but of late yeares inuented The second denied the Sacrament to be exhibited in both kinds to Lay-men contrarie both to the commandement of Christ at the first institution as also contrary to the practise of the Primitiue Church for many hundreds of yeares The third that Priests ought not to marrie contrary to Saint Paules opinion the practise of the Church and the iudgement of holy Scripture The fourth that vowes ought to be kept and this hath onely a respect to a pollitique end being that foundation whereupon is builded their monasteries and the wicked rabble of lazie Fryers and Nunnes The fifth that priuate Masses were necessarie and agreeable to Gods Word an inuention to get money onely and ridiculous to the iudgement of all learning The sixth of the necessity of auriculer confession A Pollitique deuise whereby the Pope hath vnderstanding in all states making his Priests intelligences and binding the consciences of Christians to that slauerie from which God hath made them free And these were those Articles which were made the Tryers of Christian Religion whereto euery man was to giue his consent or else to haue the iudgement of law as fellons being adiudged by the sentence of the Church Heretickes cast out from the fauour of God and from the society of the Catholike Church Fifthly By this then may appeare the euill that redounds to a state when the Counsell of a Prince is deuided not conspiring one but diuers ends especially then when the Prince puts off the power of his Maiestie and suffers himselfe to be led by the easie perswasions of them neere him by his fauour For if the King had had as much the spirit of Diuinitie as he had of Maiestie he would neuer haue had both a Cranmer and a Garidiner a Cromwell and a Moore to order him in the affaires of his Church and kingdome But according as he had bene resolued in Religion he would only haue made choice of such for his counsell as had conspired one and the same end with him their Soueraigne neither is it good in the wisedome of state to entertaine them neere vs in loue and place whom we finde to farre from vs in the opinion of Truth because there is no obligation can make such men assured that worke to bring vs to a course against our purpose giuing vs the reines onely so farre as may leade vs to their desired ends Sixthly If this man and his euil practise had not preuailed more with the King then the better perswasion of the Lord Cranmer and Cromwell the reformation of Religion had not beene letted in so hopefull a proceeding neither had the King and Parlyament passed any such Act so bloodie as was this of the sixe Articles whereby the King did blurre the honour of that reputation he had formerly gotten and retyred himselfe in the pursuite of that enterprize which worthily had made him very famous And this doth proue the greatnesse of his euill wit that made this alteration in the Kings Nature and doubtlesse if God had giuen this man grace to haue loued honestie and truth he had many other quallities of good commendation which would haue bene most flourishing in a man of holy life as his learning wit and spirit whereby he was well fitted to trauell in State businesse but misapplying those to vngodly ends they were the defects and blemishes in the person that so had them and very pestilent to the State where such men haue authority Seuenthly And if we remember the time of these sixe Articles we shall finde it plentifull in the Records

that God willed it the king wrought it and the Pope in despight suffered it to the Glory of God the kings honour and the confusion of Antichrist Eighthly From this ouersight of the Popes this may be obserued that authority and greatnesse in an euill person ruines it selfe with his owne weight neither can the greatnesse of power stand safe where it is not supported by the strength of iustice and honest proceeding And that as Byas saith promotions declare best what a man is So it is true that where authority is so absolute that there is liberty without checke Then doe men giue best demonstrations of their Natures and most apparently discouer their affections and to what ends they are most inclined For by the worke we may iudge the workeman by the fruit of the Tree and by the life the truth and holy faith of euerie man Ninthly Againe vpon this proud and ambitious Bishop may bee obserued how God confounds him in his owne practise he contriueth to make the King of England his fast friend his prop wherupon to support his vnspeakeable pride but God he determines otherwise of that King and leades him to a worke more holy honest and honourable The Pope in pollicie intitles him Defendor of the Catholike Faith because hee writ in defence of his vsurped Supremacie But God maketh him and his in deeds to defend the true faith and to denie that Supremacie So that what the Pope would haue God will not haue hee commandeth God countermandeth he deuiseth God disposeth and maketh the King shoote right whom the Pope made to leuell wrong But before all may bee obserued the Popes false vnderstanding iudgement in this case in respect of Piety and conscience how much he was led from the truth of Religion and from the witnesse of Truth Gods Word to maintaine his vniuersall power which his predecessors had by state practise gotten For it cannot be but in this their iudgements were exceedingly blinded they hauing no example of any Church at any time for their imitation When the Law was giuen God gaue it Moses to giue Aaron the people not Aron to giue Moses the people in euery cause both of state Religion Aron the Priest was obedient to Moses the Prince hee receiuing the dignity of his office from Moses vnto whom God gaue power to giue it Tenthly The like order was in the Iewish Church where the Prince might iudge the Priest and not the Priest the Prince and so in the practise of all times and in all places vntill that CHARLES the Great breathed the spirit of Ambition where it is and where it hath for many yeares disturbed the peace of Christendome yet with such euidence was this error laid open to the vniuersall eye of the world by the diligence of Martin Luther and others as the Pope could not but vnderstand it yet against the witnesse of his owne conscience did he still stifly defend it and this was a pollitique regard least the world vnderstanding him to faile in a matter so important might thereupon call in question the truth of that opinion which in truth is the state and strength of that Religion That in precept and doctrine the Pope cannot erre if then he had yeelded to haue erred in this he denied the truth of his foundation without which his greatnesse cannot stand Eleuenthly And therefore after the fashion of antient heretickes he would not yeeld to the perswasion of truth because he would not haue his iudgement contradicted and shamed by recantation to acknowledge himselfe to haue done amisse And this is onely the pride and Stomacke of the too much authority of these Bishops that respect greatnesse more then goodnes the world more then God falshood than truth desiring darkenesse to obscure the manie deformities wherewith they haue defaced the name of Christian Religion Twelfthly By this wee may learne to distinguish the good and euill the holy and prophane by their end whereto they principally aspire for good men make goodnesse their onely end whereto they reach but euil men make it onely their pretence and like the Lapwing flie most where there Nest is not and such hath bene the care of the Romane Church intituling their Bishops seruants of Gods seruants yet arrogate principallity ouer the highest of Gods Creatures They professe humility and Christian obedience but practise a tyrannie vnsupportable They call Christian Princes their beloued sonnes but make them slaues and seruants to their vngodly wills And from them hath the world learned dissimulation cunning practise for wee see that many men forme themselues very precisely in the habit of all Christian duties outwardly to gaine a reputation and the honour of high place which when they haue obtained they cast off that face of holines and discouer themselues in their true inuentions such was and still is the practise of Popes who by the formes of holinesse haue got a reputation in the world which at length came to the growth that it became like Nabuchadnezzars Tree to couer the whole earth and to spread it ouer all principality then in the height of that prosperity they cast off their vizard and discouer themselues to be but Pope and not Pastors casting from them the Word that they may with more dexterity vse the sword with which like Theeues they Rob Christian Princes of that Regality which God gaue them 13. And therefore King Henries proceedings were very considerable whereof it behoued the Pope to be verie regardfull as did threaten the ruine of that frame which the pride and pollicie of his predecessors had erected the rather because the king began at the top of his dignities to throw downe his Supremacie which had ouertopped the most soueraigne of al Christian power whatsoeuer And herein the King may seeme to vnderstand well what he had to doe for by striking the roote he was sure to perish the branches and the best way to ruine a house is to vndermine the foundation in Warre the victory is sure when the enemie hath lost that power wherein his chiefe strength consisted and so the body of Popery must 17. For these respects the Christian world stood mute at the Kings businesse no man daring to set to his helping hand so much danger their iudgements could see in attempting it as that all could bee content to be spectators but no actor like King Henry euery man hauing earnest expectation what would be the issue of so strange and hazerdous an enterprize 18. It is also very considerable that the French King had at this time aduantage offered him against the King of England The King being now in the heate of so great a businesse deuided from his confederate the Pope vnassisted by any forraigne state and in the danger of domesticke troubles whereby he was vnfurnished of a great part

approue her to bee most valiant in Christian patience and to haue worthily defended the profession of the Catholike Faith before shee was made Defendresse the storie of which her most vertuous suffering I haue heretofore written in verse and therefore in this place I forbeare to make particular Narration of that which formerly I haue declared And in this I receiue speciall contentment that in my knowledge of this Souereigne Ladie Queene Elizabeth I dare confidently report to haue found more in the trauell of my time than King Salomon withall his experience and wisedome could euer finde A good Woman 〈…〉 FIRST 〈◊〉 common with God then to helpe when the disease is highest and the expectation of good is furthest off for in this doth God shew his omnipotencie and the difference betweene the actions of himselfe and his creatures for man to produce his effects doth couet the aduantage of naturall fitting causes but it is sufficient cause in God that he is willing Secondly There is this difference in the punishments of good and euill men temporall and eternall the good mans temporall punishment must of necessity end the euill mans spirituall punishment hath an euerlasting necessity of being For God hath determined all men to taste of both cups but with different measure Thirdly It was a wisedome both Religious and Pollitique in the Queene to enter her State with generall peace for though shee had the sword of authority in her hand and found in the power of her command such as had bene very grieuous vnto her yet did she like a wise Princesse take no further reuenge then onely name them for her enemies and so distinguish them from better friends For it is most needfull for a Prince at the entring his State to gaine the opinion of mercie because there is nothing can better secure him then the hearts and faithfull seruice of his people Fourthly There is this greatnesse euen in men of inferior fortune that they either dispise the dignities they haue not or can with a modest patience hope them For seeing that all worldly things are moued with variable motions what man can haue reason to dispaire the fortune of some prosperitie CHAP. XXIV Of the first Act of Queene Elizabeths defence for the Catholike Faith after she was Queene FIRST Queene Elizabeth in her gratious disposition was like the sune which no sooner is vp but it riseth to the comfort of all Creatures so the Queene no sooner in the seate of Maiestie but she applyeth her cares to the vse of mercie and vertuous deeds casting vpon the generall face of this Nation her heauenly aspect and influence which in the blacke time of her Sisters gouernement lay in the shadow of darkenesse and blacke obscurity And as the neerest to her Religious heart she beginneth being of important consideration first with Gods cause Religion laying that for her foundation whereupon she determined to erect the whole frame of her holy life For shee well vnderstood there was nothing could support her in the true estimation of honour and vertuous liuing but Religion without the exercise whereof all other things are vitious and of euill merit And therefore did she pursue this end with a most stedfast resolution daring to doe any thing were it neuer so hazerdous that might aduantage it and remouing euery impediment which any way might hinder the prosperity of that proceeding And because she found the bodie of her State dangerously wounded by disorder and euill gouernement she therefore very carefully and skilfully applieth present remedie least otherwise the disease might proue incureable and the cause of Religion might then bee like the common cause of Patients who haue their patience tryed by deferments and lingring cures which in the trade and practise of many bad Physitions is very frequent And this disgrace hath the Queene well auoided in determining first the generall cause of the Common-Wealth before any particular end that might respect her owne priuate Secondly The euidence of this her holy and princely care is most apparant in the restoring of Religion to that Truth and Authoritie wherein in King Edwards time it was worthily established abolishing superstitious Poperie which in the time of Queene Marie her Sister had vsurped the place and dignitie of true Religion And this false worship hath Queene Elizabeth like a most victorious Empresse for euer vanquished bringing it downe to that pouertie of strength as the fauourers thereof haue little reason euer to hope a restauration of that which she and her Successor our Soueraigne King Iames haue for euer banished from the bonds of great Brittaine Thirdly And in this hath Queene Elizabeth very fortunately defended the Catholike Faith and finished that holy quarrell with as much honour as euer did any Christian Prince before her being in this worthily able to match if not to ouer match her most princely brother K. Edward who but for her may be thought for his holy care singular and without comparison Fourthly To reckon vp the particulars of Queene Elizabeths merit were a needlesse trauell both because I cannot so report them as they are worthly and also because they are yet visible in the view of the gouernement of the Church and State of England as now it standeth our Church being still in the flourish of that prosperity wherein shee left it established to the next Defendor of the Faith and wherein K. Iames her successor our Souereigne doth yet continue it and wherein we hope it will be euer continued in his hopefull posterity Fifthly This noble beginning of Queene Elizabeth was so much to the aduancement of the Catholike Faith that being by report made knowne to the world was a cause that the Children of faith who in Queene Maries time did willingly banish themselues into places of farre distance now hearing of this alteration resort againe to their Countrie and to the protection of this Noble Defendresse who did free them from the miserie of persecution and vnder whose defence they peaceably enioyed their liues and the libertie of Reformed Conscience And with this holy exordium did Queene Elizabeth begin the Storie of her vertuous life Obseruations Diuine Pollitique Morall FIRST It is a precept giuen vs by our best Master First seeke the Kingdome of God This lesson had the Queene learned from that Doctor who therefore did applie her first cares to this principall end for which God did succeed her in others for it is vnquestionable true that he that seeketh God shall finde all his necessarie things though he seeke them not Secondly The Queene by her direct manifesting her resolute purpose how in the case of Religion she was resolued was both in her selfe Religious and had this Pollitique respect that thereby shee tooke feare from her friends and hope from her enemies making hope and feare shift places for that did satisfie the expectation of her friends which in such