Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A56832
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The loyall convert
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Quarles, Francis, 1592-1644.
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1644
(1644)
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Wing Q107; ESTC R6161
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14,154
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26
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THE LOYALL CONVERT VIRO Improbus haec tam culta novalia miles habebit Barbarus has segetes HOM. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} OXFORD Printed by Henry Hall 1644. To the Honest-hearted READER READER IHere protest before the Searcher of all hearts that I have no End either of Faction or Relation in this ensuing Treatise I am no Papist no Sectarie but a true Lover of Reformation Peace My Pen declines all bitternesse of Spirit all deceitfulnesse of heart and I may safely in this particular with saint PAVL say I speake the truth in Christ and lye not my Conscience bearing me witnesse in the holy Ghost that I neither walke nor write in craftinesse nor handle the holy Scriptures deceitfully Therefore if thy Cause be Iesus Christ in the name of Iesus Christ I adjure thee to lay aside all wilfull ignorance all prejudice all private respects and Interests and all uncharitable censures Deale faithfully with thy Soul and suffer wholesome admonitions Search the severall Scriptures herein contained and where they open a Gate climbe not thou over a Stile Consult with Reason herein exerciz'd and where it finds a mouth find thou an eare And let Truth prosper though thou perish and let God be glorified although in thy Confusion THE LOYALL CONVERT THe kingdome of England that hath for many Ages continued the happiest Nation on the habitable earth enjoying the highest blessings that heaven can give or earth receive the fruition of the Gospell which setled a firme Peace which Peace occasion'd a full Plentie under the gracious Government of wise and famous Princes over a thriving and well-contented People insomuch that shee became the Earths Paradise and the Worlds Wonder is now the Nurcerie of all Sects her Peace is violated her Plentie wasting her Government distempered her People discontented and unnaturally embroyl'd in her owne Blood not knowing the way nor affecting the meanes of Peace insomuch that shee is now become the By-word of the Earth and the scorne of Nations The Cause and ground of these our Nationall Combustions are these our nationall Transgressions which unnaturally sprung from the neglect of that Truth we once had and from the abuse of that Peace we now want Which taking occasion of some differences betwixt His Majestie and his two Houses of Parliament hath divided our Kingdome within it selfe which had so divided it selfe from that God who blest it with so firme a Truth so setled a Peace and so sweet an Unitie At that sinne brought this division so this division sharpned with mutuall Jealousies brought in the Sword When the Lyon râ—â—res who trembles not And when Judgement 〈◊〉 who is not troubled Among the rest I who brought some Faggors to this Combustion stood astonisht and amazed to whom the mischiefe was farre more manifest then the Remedy At last I laid my hand upon my heart and concluded It was the hand of God Where being plundered in my understanding I began to make a scrutinie where the first Breach was made that let in all these Miseries I found the whole Kingdome now contructed into a Parliament which consisted of three Estates A King a House of Peeres and a House of Commons by the Wisdome and Unitie whereof all things conducible to the Weale-publique were to be advised upon presented and established I found this Unitie dis-joynted and growne to variance even to Blood The King and his Adherents on the one party and his two Houses and their Adherents on the other The presence of this division was the true Protestant Religion which both protested to maintaine the Libertie of the Subject which both protested to preserve the priviledges of Parliament which both promise to protect Yet neverthelesse the first never more profaned the second never more interrupted the third never more violated Standing amazed at this Riddle I turned mine eyes upon his Majesty and there I viewed the Lords Annointed sworne to maintaine the established Lawes of this Kingdome I turned mine eyes upon the two Houses and in them I beheld the Interest of my Countrey sworne to obey his Majestie as their supreme Governour I heard a Romanstranoe cryed from the two Houses I read it I approved it I inclined unto it A Declaration from his Majesty I read it I applauded it I adhered to the justnesse of it The Parliaments Answer I turned to the Parliament His Majesties Reply I returned to his Majestie Thus tost and turned as a Weathercâ—â—k to my own weaknesse I resolved it impossible to serve two Masters I fled to Reason Reason could not satisfie me I fled to Policies Policie could not resolve me at length finding no Councellour but that which first I should have sought I hyed me to the Book of God as the Great Oracle and ushering my Inquest with Prayor Humiliation I opened the sacred leaves which not by chance presented to my first eye the 20 of the Proverbs v. 2. The fear of a King is as the roaring of a Lyon who so provoketh him to Anger sinneth against his own soule Now I began to search and found as many places to that purpose as would swell this Sheet into a Volume so that in a very short space I was so furnished with such strict Precopts backt with such strong Examples that my Judgement was enlightned and my wavering Conscience so throughly convinced that by the Grace of that Power which directed me neither feare nor any By-respects shall ever hereafter remove me unlesse some cleaner light direct me But above all the Rest a Precept and an Example out of the Old Testament strongly confirmed by a Precept and an Example out of the New setled my opinion and established my Resolution The first Precept out of the Old Jeremy 27. v. 6. Where it pleased God to owne Nebuchadnezzar his servant although a a known Pagan a profest Idolater and a fierce Porsecuter of all Gods Children concerning whom he saith v. 8. They that serve not the King of Babylon and that will not put their necks under his Yoak I will punish them with the Sword Pamine and the Pestilence till I have consumed them v. 9. Therefore hearken not to your Diviners and Prophets that say unto you You shall not serve the King of Babylon for they prophosio a lye unto you v. 10. But the nations that shall serve the King of Babylon and bring their necks under his Yoak those will I let remain in their own land saith the Lord and they shall till it and dwell therein Can there be a stricter Precept or could there be a more impious Prince And yet this Precept and yet this Prince must be obeyed nay sub paena too Upon the paine of Gods high wrath fully exprest in Famine Sword and Pestilence not onely upon the People but upon the Priests also that shall perswade them unto disobedience The second Precept is enjoyned us out of the New Testament Rom. 13. 1. Let every soule be subject to the
it were so Are not Papists as tolerable for His Majesty as Anabaptists Brownists Separatists Atheists Antinomians Turks and indeed all Religions and Factions nay Papists too for His Subjects These of His Majesties side come freely out of their Allegeance as Subjects Yours are preach'd in comming out of obstinacie as Rebells They at their owne charges proportionable to their Abilities These like Iudas selling their Soveraignes Blood for ill payd wages Yet both sides pretend a Quarrell for the true Protestant Religion Good God! What a monstrous Religion is this that seeks protection from the implacable opposition of her two Champions His Majesty protests to maintaine it The two Houses protest to maintaine it O for an Oedipus to reade this Riddle His Majesty addes one Clause more wherein if the other Party would agree the worke would be at an end which is According to the establisht Constitutions by Oath taken by him at his Coronation And there the two Houses leave him contending for a yet undetermined alteration And for my part I dare not conceive such evill of the Lords Anointed and my gracious Soveraigne as to feare him perjur'd Hatn not His Majesty in the presence of that God by whom he reignes imprecated the Curse of Heaven on him and his Royall Posterity Sub Sigillo sacrament too if He to his utmost maintaine not the true Protestant Religion exercised in that blessed Queenes dayes and propagated by the blood of so many glorious Martyrs at which time God blest this Island in so high a measure if he preserve not the just Priviledges of Parliament and the Liberty of the Subject Nay more did not his Majesty so promise the severe execution of the Statute against all Recusants that if he failed he desired not the ayde of his good Subjects What interiour person would not think his Reputation wronged not to take up considence upon such terrible termes What notorious evill hath his Majesty perpetrated to quench the sparkles of a Common Charity Consider O Consider He acts his part before the King of Kings whose eye is more especially upon Him He acts his part before his fellow Princes to whom he hath declared this his Imprecation He acts his part before his Subjects whose stricter hand weighs his pious words with too unequall Balances Were he the acknowledger of no God yet the Princes of the earth if guilty of such a Perjurie would abhorre him Or were all the Princes of the earth blind deafe or partiall would not he think his Crown a burthen to be worne upon his perjured brow before his own abused people Or having renounced his Subjects ayde upon his fayle could he expect that loyalty which now he wants upon a meere suspition But He is a Prince whom God hath crowned with graces above his fellowes A Prince whom for his Piety few Ages could parallel What Vices of the times have branded his Repute His Youth high diet strength of body and Soveraigne Power might have enclin'd and warpt him to luxurious vanitie as well as other Monarchs whose effeminacles have enerv'd the strength of their declining Kingdoms How many would have held it a Preferment to be Attorny to His Royall Lust or Secretary to His liâ—some Sinne Yet he remaines a president of unblemisht Chastity He might have pleasd and pamperd up his wanton Palate with the choice of curious Wives to lighten Cares which wait upon the Regall Diademe Yet he continues the patterne of a chaste Sobriety He might have magnifyed his Mercie and sold his Justice to reward a Service in pardoning offences committed by those of neare relation yet He abides the example of inexorable Justice These and many other eminent Graces and illustrious Vertues can claime no Birth from Flesh and Blood especially in those whose pupillages are strangers to Correction Nor is it safe Divinity to acknowledge such high Gifts from any hand but Heaven Which being so my Conscience and Religion tells me that Almighty God who is all perfection will not leave a work so forward so imperfect but will from day to day still adde and adde to his transcendent vertues till he appeare the Glory of the World and after many yeares be crowned in the World of Glorie Martial llb. 8. Ep. 66. Rerum prima salus una Caesar Post-script to the Reader NOw thou hast heard the Harmony of Scriptures without Corruption and the Language of Reason without Sophistry Thou hast not only heard Divine Precepts but those Precepts backt with holy Examples Neither those out of the Old Testament alone but likewise out of the New Being now no Matter lest for thy Exceptions prevaricate no longer with thy own soule And in the feare of God I now adjure thee once againe as thou wilt answer before the Tribunall at the dreadfull and terrible day that thou faithfully examine and ponder the plaine Texts which thou hast read and yeelding due obedience to them stop thine eares against all sinister expositions and remember that historicall Scripture will admit no allegoricall interpretations If any thing in this Treatise shall deserve thy Answer doe it punctually briefly plainly and with meeknes If by direct Scripture thou canst without wresting refute my Error thou shalt reforme and save thy Brother If not recant thine and hold it no dishonor to take that shame to thy self which brings Glory to thy God 1 PET. 3. 15. Be alwayes ready to give an answer to every one that asketh you a reason with meeknes and feare FINIS Pre. 1. Pre. 2. Ob. Ans. 1 Sam 26. 9. Example 1. Dan. 3. 19. Dan. 3. 18. Dan. 3. 17. Ob. Ans. Ob. Ans. Eccl. 8. Ob. Ans. Psal. 51. 4. Prov. â— 15. Ob. Ans. Ob. Ans. Ob. Ans. Ob. Ans. Ob. Ans. Ob. Ans Ob. Ars. Hester 8. Example 2. 1 Pet. 2. Mat. 26. 52 Ob. Ans. Ob. Ans. Ob. Ans. Ob. Mar. 10. 34. Ans. 1 Co. 1. 23. Mat. 26. 31. Rom. 7. 7. Ob. Ans.