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<NAME>Kayla Ondracek</NAME>
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<P>A PLEA FOR MODERATION.</P>
<P>Printed in the yeare 1642.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the READER.</HEAD>
<P><HI>_READER,</HI> I conceale my name, for two rea&s;ons; both derived from the con&s;ideration of thee: from thy approbation, thy di&s;like: thy approbation, becau&s;e, having what I aimed at, I expect not the ceremony of thy thankes; thy di&s;like, becau&s;e my &s;uppo&s;ed crime &s;hall not injure my name. As for mi&s;-con&s;tructions, I &s;hall neither value them, nor wonder at them.</P>
<CLOSER><SALUTE>Farwell.</SALUTE></CLOSER>
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<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>A PLEA FOR MODERATION.</HEAD>
<P>_TO plead preci&s;ely for Moderation, it is very ne|ce&s;&s;ary to be well acquainted with Extreames, and the ill condition and con&s;equence of them; which, like the counterfeit Mother, would have the childe divi|ded, but not aright: for indeed, as in every extreme, the A|gent, which ought to be free, is hurried on with a kind of violence, &s;o that it operateth not properly; therefore a &s;ound and well ordered judgement, which is ever delibe|rate, can never be conver&s;ant in &s;uch extreames, but is e|ver wanting to give its true weight and mea&s;ure to all proceedings. This age is much like weather we have had of late, Agui&s;h, therefore di&s;tempered; many faire and foul daies in one, many good and bad ages in one. There was a time when &s;he was extreamly frozen, both in her Reli|gion and Lawes, and almo&s;t lo&s;t by &s;carce feeling where &s;he was, the cold had &s;o benumm'd her: Every one might then ghe&s;&s;e that this was not onely a &s;ymptom of her di&s;|ea&s;e, but an ab&s;olute Ague-fit, fit to be purged. And let not any man think, that the glowing fire &amp; fierce zeal of &s;ome now (I had almo&s;t &s;aid of mo&s;t) in this twi-light age, is an extirpation of that cold; but rather a con&s;equent of that former chillne&s;s: <HI>Contraria contrariorum &s;unt con&s;equentia.</HI></P>
<P>And now, I pray, take a little view how the&s;e contraries do meet; but not <HI>in uno tertio,</HI> yet (though that's my prayer) but in re&s;emblance.</P>
<P>Before the beginning of this (happy I hope) Parlia|ment,
<PB REF="3">the Pulpit and Pre&s;&s;e were &s;tuffed full of that do|ctrine of <HI>caeca obedientia,</HI> and pro&s;ecuted with &s;o much ex|ce&s;&s;ive violence, as no man could reckon otherwi&s;e, then that they intended a deluge of ignorance to overwhelme the greate&s;t part of this Common-wealth. That made Schollers angry at the heart; &s;ince, <HI>&egrave; contrario verum,</HI> as high a plea for ignorance is &s;et up; and let mee tell you, with more zeale, but le&s;&s;e wit, by Preaching and Pam|phleting again&s;t humane learning. This, I confe&s;&s;e, trou|bleth Schollers, but they know not how to helpe it.</P>
<P>Before the beginning of this Parliament, the practice of men and the Pulpit were full of having the per&s;ons of men in admiration; &s;ince, <HI>&egrave; contrario verum.</HI> I am affraid men are deified and adored: onely before it was idolatry, or &s;uper&s;tition at the lea&s;t; now 'tis neither.</P>
<P>Before, many painfull and pious Mini&s;ters were had in obloquie and di&s;-re&s;pect, I wi&s;h I could not &s;ay that &s;ince, <HI>&egrave; contrario verum;</HI> tho&s;e very men are become the &s;ubject of &s;landrous tongues.</P>
<P>Before, men preached for &s;o much libertie, as it was in|deed ju&s;tly &s;tumbled at; now <HI>&egrave; contrario nimis verum,</HI> men preach for &s;uch a kind of liberty as we would faine bee quit from, for fear of danger to &s;oule and body.</P>
<P>The&s;e extremities I may not unfitly compare to two pictures, fixed in a frame of like re&s;emblance, and made to look directly one again&s;t the other, but never approach neerer one unto the other then where they are fixed.</P>
<P>What &s;trange di&s;tractions, what variety of opinions doth this mon&s;trous error, Extremity, produce into the world?</P>
<P>Becau&s;e I would not bee a Papi&s;t, a Con&s;ub&s;tantiate Lutheran or Ubiquitarian, an Arminian, a Socinian, &amp;c. therefore I mu&s;t be a Browni&s;t, a Separati&s;t, a Famili&s;t, &amp;c. nay an Athei&s;t; that &s;ome hold to bee the be&s;t Re|ligion, if they could but prove it one.</P>
<PB REF="3">
<P>Becau&s;e I infinitely di&s;like to bee le&s;&s;e then what a Sub|ject ought to bee, and am a reall lover of my Country, and would have the Lawes e&s;tabli&s;hed bee put in execution, and doe a&s;&s;uredly thinke that they who goe about to &s;hut us out from this, and denie us to bee <HI>Magna Charta-men,</HI> are, and have beene, great di&s;turbers of the true peace and tranquillity of the Kingdome; therefore I mu&s;t not give <HI>Cae&s;ar</HI> his due.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e I doe from my very heart dete&s;t and abhorie the Hierarchicall power of Bi&s;hops, &s;o farre as it is &s;utable to that power which, by degrees of u&s;urpation, was gained to the Sea of Rome to make it &s;o therefore I mu&s;t have no Bi&s;hops at all, therefore I mu&s;t contemne and &s;leight the function; who, although they were in the ancient Church gallant Conduit-pipes to convey the &s;en&s;e and meaning of the Scriptures to us of the later age, nay the Scriptures them&s;elves; yet wee dwarfs, notwith&s;tanding wee are nece&s;&s;itated to creepe upon their &s;houlders, if wee meane to looke further then they, will never acknowledge them to bee our props and guides; who, although &s;ome of them, as may bee well proved, had a deciding power both in Temporall and Spirituall matters, &s;ome of us now would have them enjoy neither; all which before Popery was thought of.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e I in particular did much reprove, and that o|penly, tho&s;e over growne ceremonies of the Church in the time of this Hierarchicall power, both for their quan|titie (although admit them all good, yet not expedient) and for their qualitie, by rea&s;on that, in very deed, what they added were mo&s;t of them (if not all) bad; therefore we mu&s;t not have tho&s;e ceremonies u&s;ed which by Law tye our con&s;cience, untill the wi&s;edome of the Parliament &s;hall con&s;titute others in their roome, and do fa&s;ten upon us that con&s;traint which we cannot wave; and by a better rea&s;on
<PB REF="4">I will doe tho&s;e things which in them&s;elves are indifferent, becau&s;e publicke authority enjoines them, then not to doe them, becau&s;e they are enjoined: Nay, &s;ome there are who would not &s;tick at the performance of them, were they not enjoined at all; it &s;eemes that's their impediment. A &s;trange &s;pirit of contradiction! but me thinks a &s;tranger doctrine to be preached in this ill-independent age. If this be not a way to introduce a full height of libertini&s;me, I know not what is: I name not athei&s;me, but it is an ea&s;ie matter to ghe&s;&s;e what kind of Daughter &s;uch a Mother may and will bring forth.</P>
<P>Now, this let me adde by the way, that when men &s;halbe admitted to cavill at the performance of former Laws, which certainly the gravity of that time framed with due advice and caution (although peradventure many of them are but temporary, and may admit of alteration &s;utable to times &amp; occa&s;ions) I &s;ay, when men &s;hall (out of I know not what kind of neglect of authority) di&s;pen&s;e with the&s;e, how can it be expected, that tho&s;e Laws which hereafter &s;halbe made, &s;hall find any better &s;ucce&s;&s;e at the hands of tho&s;e, who do mo&s;t naturally reject Government and Rule?</P>
<P>But I have bin told, they are not of a con&s;iderable number; the Papi&s;ts are the great danger in the Common-wealth. I confe&s;&s;e them to be dangerous men, e&s;pecially tho&s;e that are Je&s;uited: their practice hath been very factious, and their doctrine is venemous, and di&s;tre&s;&s;ed <HI>Ireland</HI> hath too-too-much felt the &s;mart of it; but (God be thanked) they have neither clawes nor teeth here, that I know of. But as for that uncon&s;iderable (I may &s;ay incon&s;iderate) number, I wi&s;h they may be alwayes &s;o in the fir&s;t &s;en&s;e, &s;o long as they continue in the &s;econd: And for once, let the Papi&s;ts and them goe together for the <HI>malignant party.</HI></P>
<P>By this time you may partly di&s;cerne the &s;cope of my intended di&s;cour&s;e: It is <HI>A Plea for Moderation,</HI> a <HI>Plea</HI> for a
<PB REF="4"><HI>Medium.</HI> And I per&s;wade my &s;elfe I &s;hall, at one in&s;tant make two contrary &s;orts of people glad and &s;ad, the Papi&s;t, the Separati&s;t; that while&s;t by this meanes both think to enjoy their Religion &s;till, their Opinion I would &s;ay, both mi&s;&s;e of what they aime: for this <HI>Moderation,</HI> this <HI>Me|dium,</HI> &s;hall give neither of the&s;e the lea&s;t &s;atisfaction.</P>
<P>I have learned by way of diver&s;ity, what a <HI>Medium</HI> may be thus di&s;tingui&s;hed, into
<LIST>
<HEAD>Medium</HEAD>
<ITEM><HI>Participationis.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Abnegationis.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>The fir&s;t is that for which the <HI>Laodiceans</HI> received &s;uch a &s;entence from the mouth of God in the <HI>Revelations,</HI> to be a <HI>Repudium</HI> for their luke-warmne&s;&s;e: This is the onely principle whereby the Temporizers of every age walke and &s;teere their cour&s;e; a blind guide, an <HI>Iguis fatuus,</HI> which very frequently leaves them in the mire: This is &s;uch a prin|ciple as propo&s;eth to it &s;elfe no other end then the pre&s;ent advantage; and truely his halting in je&s;t betwixt two, makes men often become lame in earne&s;t; and when they are grown &s;uch Cripples, no wonder if they clo&s;e in the Ho&s;|pitall of fooles.</P>
<P><HI>Machiavell</HI> never lo&s;t him&s;elfe &s;o much as in this par|ticular; for, if it bee once found out that there can bee two &s;everall men in one, ten to one but hee &s;hall ever after have the hard hap not to be tru&s;ted in either condition. A <HI>Puritan</HI> is an unlucky name thrown into the world; but if ever there were &s;uch a man, this is he who ju&s;tly may a&s;&s;ume that title, He is like the feet of <HI>Nabuchadnezzars</HI> Image, part of iron and part of clay, an ill mixture, therefore not likely to be of any long perpetuity; this is not the <HI>Medium</HI> I plead for.</P>
<P>It is the <HI>Medium abnegationis</HI> I plead &s;o &s;trongly for. Albeit I am neither Papi&s;t nor Separati&s;t, yet by Gods help, I tru&s;t I may bee of a true Religion, and maintaine Ortho|doxill veritie; and, indeed, I branch my <HI>Medium:</HI> fir&s;t, into
<PB REF="5">Religion, becau&s;e that is of the highe&s;t concernment, and mo&s;t of all ju&s;tled at in this clay-iron age. It is true that of <HI>Ari&s;totle, Qui ubique est nullibi e&s;t,</HI> and may bee made good by the medly of &s;o many opinionative Religions now &s;et on foote by the &s;tep-mothers of &s;ound Religion; who &s;o much magnifie their ba&s;tard i&s;&s;ue before her, as indeed &s;hee &s;carce undergoes any thing at their hands but nips and pinches: I confe&s;&s;e &s;hee hath beene of late dre&s;&s;ed in too gaudy, too gari&s;h an attire; and therefore now, to make her do &s;trict penance for how long God knows) &s;he is left &s;tark naked, expo&s;ed to &s;ummer &s;corches, and winter colds; and I pray God when &s;he puts on any thing next, it do not prove her winding &s;heet. As I would not have her go like a pain|ted &s;trumpet, &s;o I &s;hould be glad to &s;ee her in a comely dre&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>I remember, I did even now take the Bi&s;hops by the hand; but my intent was not &s;o to take my leave of them: I have &s;omewhat more to &s;ay of them before they go; I &s;eriou&s;ly wi&s;h they had beene carefull to keepe my la&s;t <HI>medium,</HI> the want of that hath exceedingly prevented me of &s;omething I would have &s;aid: but thus much I will declare, There have been Bi&s;hops, Dioce&s;an Bi&s;hops, Lord Bi&s;hops, all good Bi&s;hops, not <HI>Jure divino</HI> (pardon me for that) but <HI>Jure Eccle&s;iastico vel civili, &amp; ex favore Principis:</HI> Ancient Hi&s;tories will warrant me for that; and they are &s;o copious and &s;o well knowne, I hope no man will reque&s;t a quotati|on; yea all this the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pell were made ca|pable of: therefore (in my judgement) not incongruous to the function; and if the government mu&s;t downe, becau&s;e &s;ome are bad, why &s;hould not the government &s;tand, be|cau&s;e &s;ome are, and primitively have beene good? For ought I can perceive, it is as good an argument. I denie not but the way of a Presbytery may be good in a State, not here; but however, dur&s;t I pre&s;ume to beg, or think of beg|ging the lea&s;t &s;temme from &s;acred Maje&s;tie that is due to
<PB REF="5">it, our Bi&s;hops, peradventure, might bee much better then they are, if the Mini&s;ters of every County, by a majority of voices, did, out of them&s;elves, choo&s;e their Dioce&s;an Bi&s;hop, and there be &s;ettled for his life: but then I conceive it is fit, for maintenance, that the lea&s;t &s;hould be a thou&s;and pounds a yeare to live upon, and the greate&s;t no more. In this particular I am for a parity; nay I would have none of them Lords, but &s;uch on whom his Maje&s;tie &s;hould by his more e&s;peciall favour bee graciou&s;ly plea&s;ed to be&s;tow the title, who is the undoubted fountaine of honour and digni|ty. And if I hit aright in the under&s;tanding of that Text &s;o &s;everely urged again&s;t that, which is, <HI>Be you not called Lords,</HI> the meaning is, Bee not ambitious, de&s;irous, covetous of that Title; otherwi&s;e, perhaps, &s;ome one might call them Lords in &s;pite of them, and &s;o, again&s;t their wils, incurre the breach of our Saviours precept. And as concerning that of Saint <HI>Peter, Be not as Lords over Gods heritage,</HI> the mean|ing is, You &s;hall not have ab&s;olute rule over them; for &s;o the word <GAP DESC="foreign"> &s;ignifies, which hinders not but that they may have it &s;ubjugated to the chiefe Prince and State under which they live; for, indeed, as it is admirably well ob&s;erved by that Engli&s;h <HI>Seneca,</HI> Sir <HI>Edward Dering,</HI> in a Treati&s;e of his, when our Saviour tells his twelve Apo&s;tles that <HI>the Princes of the Gentiles, and the Kings of the Gentiles, &amp;c. exerci&s;e dominion, &amp;c.</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>It &s;hall not bee &s;o with you;</HI> that is, You &s;hall not bee as the Kings and Princes of the Gentiles, who a&s;&s;ume an ab&s;olute and independent power: No, this I conceive is clearly prohibited them: and (although by the word <GAP DESC="foreign"> be not meant, as &s;ome would have it, domineering or tyrannizing in a bad &s;en&s;e, but governing and ruling in a good &s;en&s;e, and &s;eemly for men duely authorized thereto, as Gods Vice-gerents on Earth; yet) I hold Clergy-men totally uncapable of it: and this I conceive to be the meaning of that worthy Knight,
<PB REF="6">which (I &s;ay) doth no way hinder, but that they may, never|thele&s;&s;e, have a &s;ubordinate power limited them by a &s;uper|intendent authority above them of the King and Lawes of the Kingdome; and with this caution I take the word.</P>
<P>I adde a further Plea in behalfe of <HI>Common-prayer,</HI> or a <HI>&s;et forme of prayer,</HI> which is our Church Liturgie. I grant that there may be &s;ome things in it (if the great wi&s;edome of the Parliament &s;o plea&s;e) fit to bee expunged; but if this Kingdome &s;hould bee &s;o unhappy, as to lo&s;e &s;uch an ornament of her Religion as this; for my part, I &s;hould not grudge to die a <HI>Common-prayer</HI> Martyr: but I &s;hall not wonder if the &s;et prayers of our Church be &s;o &s;leighted as they are, when a number (of I know not what &s;ort of people) cannot reli&s;h the chiefe&s;t of prayers, the <HI>Lords prayer;</HI> and yet our Saviour in one of the Go&s;pels gives us a plain di|rection, <HI>When you pray, &s;ay, Our Father which art in heaven, &amp;c.</HI> And as for the Doctrine of the Church of England, grounded upon the infallible Te&s;timonie of Holy writ, which a man would ble&s;&s;e him&s;elfe to heare &s;tumbled at, (I hope) none dare bee &s;o impious as argue again&s;t it: if he be, I cannot &s;ee how he can avoid Saint <HI>Pauls Anathema.</HI></P>
<P>Now let me apply my <HI>Medium</HI> to mixt and civill affaires, and &s;ee if wee can fall into an <HI>uno tertio</HI> there; nay &s;ee, that if wee fall not there, wee are either &s;plit or &s;unke. <HI>Preroga|tive,</HI> admirable in it &s;elfe, provided it have its due bounds and limits, hath by &s;ome beene &s;o expatiated, as indeed, in their apprehen&s;ions, it was unfathomed: I would tho&s;e men had either well under&s;tood what it was, or, not under|&s;tanding it, would have been hu&s;hed in their own ignorance by a &s;ilent humility.</P>
<P>The <HI>liberty of the Subject,</HI> an excellent &s;trengthening of our <HI>meum &amp; tuum</HI> in the world; but by &s;ome &s;o diameterly oppo&s;ed to <HI>Prerogative,</HI> that, with them, <HI>Non bene conveni|unt, nec in una &s;edemorantur Maje&s;tas &amp; libertas.</HI> I thinke
<PB REF="6">this Common-wealth much happier, if they go (like <HI>Hip|pocrates</HI> twinnes) hand in hand: And it was a good &s;peech, though from a band man (I &s;hall beleeve the Divell when he &s;peakes truth) <HI>This Kingdome will never bee well, unle&s;&s;e there be a right under&s;tanding between the King and his people Mordecay</HI>'s advice to <HI>He&s;ter,</HI> concerning the deliverance of the <HI>Jewes,</HI> hath been mi&s;-applied by diver&s;e; for, as I take it, there was King in the ca&s;e, and that King bowed &amp; &s;ued to; I hope with us hee &s;hall be e&s;teemed a third E&s;tate in Parliament.</P>
<P><HI>Rehoboams</HI> lo&s;&s;e of ten Tribes was a very &s;trange and &s;ud|den falling off, and &s;eemed for the pre&s;ent an exceeding great blow to <HI>Rehoboam</HI> him&s;elfe; yet wee &s;ee no expre&s;&s;e rea&s;on alledged in Scripture, either in re&s;pect of <HI>Rehoboams</HI> &s;inne in particular, or of the Peoples in generall; but the Text &s;aith, <HI>it was of the Lord:</HI> neverthele&s;&s;e tho&s;e revol|ting Tribes are plainly charged with rebellion for it, and a commendation is given to <HI>Judah</HI> for &s;ticking clo&s;e to their true and lawfull Prince. Nay &s;ee what became of tho&s;e revolters ever after; among&s;t all their Kings that raigned over them, I do not read of one of them that was good, whereas <HI>Judah</HI> had diver&s;e; for <HI>Jehoram,</HI> one of the race of the Kings of <HI>Judah</HI> being wicked, had this brand upon him, that <HI>he walked after the Kings of I&s;rael.</HI> Nay ob&s;erve how <HI>Abijah</HI> the &s;onne of <HI>Rehoboam</HI> doth, in this very parti|cular, taxe <HI>Jeroboam</HI> with rebellion again&s;t his Lord; and &s;o having addre&s;&s;ed his prayer to Almighty God for victory over <HI>Jeroboam</HI> and all his rebellious troope, <HI>Abijah</HI> with 400000. men of <HI>Judah</HI> and <HI>Benjamin,</HI> had the conque&s;t of <HI>Jeroboam</HI> with 800000. men of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> full twice &s;o many, and at that time kept them under due obedience. Here may you &s;ee a mo&s;t remarkable judgment of God for their rebellious undutifulne&s;&s;e. Ob&s;erve further how many &s;everall and &s;undry waies they were puni&s;hed, both with idolatrie and other enormous &s;innes, which crept among&s;t
<PB REF="7">them, and perpetuall wars and troubles abroad, and in a &s;hort time brought to captivity; whereas <HI>Judah</HI> on the contrary had &s;till a greater mea&s;ure of peace and tranquilli|ty. And one thing I cannot but take notice of; It is &s;aid that tho&s;e of <HI>I&s;rael</HI> who &s;ought the Lord their God, <HI>went up to Jeru&s;alem to wor&s;hip:</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Kin. 12.27.</NOTE> which begat a great jealou&s;ie in <HI>Jeroboam,</HI> fearing le&s;t if the people went up to do &s;acri|fice in the hou&s;e of the Lord at Jeru&s;alem, it would bee a meanes to turne their hearts back againe to their Lord <HI>Rehoboam;</HI> and what followes? <HI>So &s;hall they kill mee</HI> (&s;aith hee) <HI>and goe againe to Rehoboam:</HI> there was his jealou&s;ie, as hee had good rea&s;on; wherefore hee pro&s;ecuted one wickedne&s;&s;e with another, as it is indeed the u&s;uall way in all rebellions; they cannot bee thought &s;afe, but by attempt|ing and heaping up a load of higher and greater crimes.</P>
<P>Princes are like the bond of Wed-lock, once make them the Fathers of our Country, and wee take them for better for wor&s;e: wee may per&s;wade them, wee cannot compell them without breach of divine precept; once let them be the <HI>Lords annointed,</HI> and it is &s;acriledge to touch them, I meane unfittingly. The common people made Cae&s;ars, but being once made, it was utterly out of their power to un|make them againe; nothing could do it but death. And if a King &s;hould breake an oath, made by him to his people, for a right governing according to his Lawes; yet, under favour, his breach quitteth not his Subjects of their allegi|ance: and if this &s;tand not for a truth, for my part, I do not know by what principle any man can walke; for, de&s;troy but this foundation, and then your Anti-governi&s;ts will alwaies finde &s;tarting holes, upon the lea&s;t di&s;-content, to &s;hake off that yoke which is undoubtedly laid upon every Subject, as a nece&s;&s;ary tye of their obedience and loyalty to their Sove|raigne, and that even as they tender the peace and quiet of a good con&s;cience.</P>
<PB REF="7">
<P>Therefore you &s;hall read in the <HI>Chronicles,</HI> though God permitted the people to worke trea&s;on again&s;t King <HI>Amaziah,</HI> becau&s;e, as it is there &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Chro. 25.27.</NOTE> <HI>hee turned away from the Lord his God;</HI> yet, I tru&s;t, no man can denie but that it was reckoned trea&s;on &s;till in the peo|ple. But it may bee objected, <HI>Quor&s;um haec?</HI> wee have a King (God bee ble&s;&s;ed for him) farre other|wi&s;e; otherwi&s;e indeed, and one who may well bee an exact patterne of pietie to all his Subjects; Nay what a happy peace and contentment have wee enjoy|ed under our mo&s;t gracious Soveraigne, till wee our &s;elves, I know not which way, have quarrelled with our &s;elves?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, that I urge not this but onely as an argu|ment <HI>&agrave; minori ad majus;</HI> if Princes are not to be rebel|led again&s;t, neither by the reall &s;word, nor by the me|taphoricall one, the tongue; that is, neither by &s;peech nor action, though they &s;hould be <HI>Nero's</HI> or <HI>Caligula's;</HI> in how ample and high an e&s;timation &s;hould we then have tho&s;e, who are <HI>rever&acirc;</HI> good ones, and not dip|ped with the lea&s;t colour or re&s;emblance of &s;uch Ty|ranni&s;ts? Therefore <HI>Bracton</HI> expre&s;&s;eth it admira|bly, where hee &s;aid, <HI>Omnis quidem &s;ub Rege, &amp; ip&s;e &s;ub nullo ni&s;i tant&ugrave;m &s;ub Deo:</HI> And in another place, <HI>Si autem aliquid ab eo petatur (cum breve non currat contra ip&s;um) locus erit &s;upplicationi, quod factum &s;uum corrigat &amp; emendet; quod quidem &s;i non fecerit, &s;atis &s;ufficit ei ad poenam quod Dominum expectet ultorem; nemo quidem de factis &s;uis prae&s;umat di&s;pu|tare, mult&ograve; forti&ugrave;s contra factum &s;uum venire:</HI> thus far <HI>Bracton.</HI></P>
<P>It is not for nought that the Apo&s;tle doth &s;o in&s;e|parably knit the&s;e two together, <HI>feare God</HI> and <HI>ho|nour the King:</HI> as if hee &s;hould have &s;aid, there is
<PB REF="8">none can give that honour to the King as hee ought, except hee be one that truly feareth God; and none can truly feare God as hee ought, if hee give not the honour due to his Prince. And if Saint <HI>Paul</HI> could check him&s;elfe with a <HI>&s;criptum e&s;t, Thou &s;halt not &s;peak evil of the Ruler of thy people;</HI> what can be thought of tho&s;e that would infringe his legall Prerogative, which is as undoubtedly his, as our e&s;tates are ours, and by as firme a Law, untill hee &s;hall plea&s;e to give way to the altering of it, by his owne free and wil|ling a&s;&s;ent and con&s;ent fir&s;t had and obtained, which mu&s;t not bee drawne from him by the lea&s;t con&s;traint or forcible per&s;wa&s;ion what&s;oever? That of the <HI>Proverbs</HI> is a &s;ure rule, <HI>Feare God and the King, and meddle not with them that are given to change.</HI></P>
<P>And I pray tell me, what is the cau&s;e why &s;uch mi&s;|takes and heart-burnings ari&s;e in the world, but onely the great want of charity in a number. <HI>Love covers a multitude of &s;innes,</HI> &s;aith the Scripture: <HI>Ex con&s;e|quenti,</HI> what doe you then call that which rips them up, and layes them open? Indeed love gaines a mul|titude of good; good to others, to them&s;elves who u&s;e it: and where can wee better manife&s;t it then to tho&s;e whom God hath placed in eminency above us? Would it not grieve us much if our children &s;hould prove <HI>Chams</HI> unto us? If therefore there bee truly that relation (as wee are bound to beleeve it) certainly their wounds mu&s;t needes pierce through our &s;ides, and their contempt mu&s;t needs bee our reproach.</P>
<P>I am not ignorant that this is a very hard le&s;&s;on to take out; but, to come to my <HI>Medium,</HI> it mu&s;t bee done: for, to &s;peake the truth, while wee want this Theologicall vertue, <HI>Love,</HI> wee are very apt to doe injury to them wee love not; and it argues a
<PB REF="8">great partiality to our &s;elves. What &s;aith Saint <HI>Paul?</HI> to repeate him a little, <HI>Though I &s;peake with the tongues of men and Angels, &amp;c. Though I had the gifts of Prophe&s;ie, &amp;c. and knew all &s;ecrets: yea had all faith, &amp;c. Though I feed the poore, nay though I give my bodie to bee burned, and have not love, all is nothing:</HI> And yet (God he knowes) what an innume|rable company of pretenders are there to all the&s;e, but it is without <HI>Love.</HI> The Apo&s;tle goeth on to tell the nature and condition of Love: and do but view what characters hee puts upon it.</P>
<P><HI>Love</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>&s;uffereth long.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>is bountifull.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>envieth not.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>boa&s;teth not it &s;elfe.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>is not puffed up.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>di&s;daineth not.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>&s;eeketh not her owne things.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>is not provoked to anger.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>thinketh not evill.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>rejoiceth not in iniquity, but in truth.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>&s;uffereth all things.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>beleeveth all things.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>hopeth all things.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>endureth all things.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>never falleth away.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Here is a chaine con&s;i&s;ting of fifteene linkes, all of them mo&s;t expre&s;&s;ive and emphaticall. What a hard taske have the men of our age to imitate all the&s;e? what a brave <HI>Medium</HI> were here to fall upon? Let me once, for all, &s;peake boldly, and it will ea&s;ily be found to bee true upon due &s;earch and &s;ad examination, that there is not one the lea&s;t tumult or di&s;traction in a Na|tion, not the lea&s;t di&s;content in a family (by which, as
<PB REF="9">by <HI>Hercules</HI> feete, may be mea&s;ured the proportion of the whole body) but it ari&s;eth from the want of due ob&s;ervation of all the&s;e. I might expatiate my &s;elfe in the&s;e particulars; but my care is, as much as I can, to &s;ave time and trouble to the Reader. I profe&s;&s;e not my &s;elf a Divine, it is not my way; therefore I leave peculiar applications to the ingenious.</P>
<P>Now, by the rule of Contraries, I might illu&s;trate un|to you what is oppo&s;ite and repugnant to <HI>Love;</HI> but di|ver&s;e mens practice now a dayes will in this point in|&s;truct you better then I.</P>
<P>There is much to bee &s;aid, but I &s;hut up all in <HI>Love;</HI> and I wi&s;h from my very &s;oule all mi&s;takes and mi&s;|beleefes might end there; which will never be, while they &s;o be; for unle&s;&s;e they vani&s;h, no roome for <HI>Love:</HI> That <GAP DESC="foreign"> is extreamly mi&s;taken abroad, for it is often made but the baite, while&s;t the hooke layes hold on private intere&s;ts.</P>
<P>And truely, as my hearty prayers &s;hall be ever bent for a mo&s;t pro&s;perous event of proceedings in the&s;e in&s;tant great A&s;&s;emblies: So it &s;hall &s;till be one prayer of my Petition, that there may be <HI>Love</HI> at the end of every thing; and I am confident &s;uch a Petition as this, needeth neither clubs nor &s;words to force its ad|mi&s;&s;ion.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
