Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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A11621
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Vox vera: or, Obseruations from Amsterdam Examining the late insolencies of some pseudo-puritans, separatists from the Church of Great Brittaine. And closed vp with a serious three-fold aduertisement for the generall vse of euery good subiect within his Maiesties dominions, but more especially of those in the kingdome of Scotland. By Patricke Scot, North-Brittaine.
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Scot, Patrick.
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1625
(1625)
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STC 21863; ESTC S116886
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33,610
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74
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VOX VERA OR OBSERVATIONS FROM AMSTERDAM Examining The late Insolencies of some PSEVDO-PVRITANS Separatists from the Church of GREAT BRITTAINE And Closed vp with a serious three-fold Aduertisement for the generall vse of euery good Subiect within his Maiesties Dominions but more especially of those in the Kingdome of SCOTLAND By PATRICKE SCOT North-Brittaine STOB SERM. 44. Quae nascentia mala sunt ea crescentia peiora LONDON Printed by BERNARD ALSOP 1625. OT THE GENEROVS READER IF as is wittily moralized infants at their first entry into the world bewaile the fall of our first Parents I finde no reason why those that are of full age may not vera voce condole either priuate distempers or publike calamities or that I should not publish this abortiue birth expostulating against those Empiricks and firebrands that labour to enflame the Church and incense the state that thereby a plurisie of troubles and generall combustion might ensue indangering the peace of the one or troubling the calme of other As my stile is dull plaine without affectation rather to deliuer trueth then shew art so are my aimes sincere and free of all squint-eyed inducements My dutie to the Church allegeance to my Soueraigne and danger of schismaticall praesidents are the fires that haue tempered this Telamonian shield vnder whose shelter this Shepheard-like subiect opposeth the naked simplicitie of trueth against the enraged Goliahs of this age armed with glistring shows of finest forgery One fauour I craue that thy misprision wrong me not as if I did not distinguish such graue sober and peaceable spirits in the Clergie or Laitie at home or abroad that though different in opinioÌ„ in some points of externall discipline and policie containe themselues within the precinct of that vnity and modesty prescribed by the Apostles in like cases As I esteeme it sacriledge to detract from the least desert of any sober Christian so hold I it Religion to vnmaske the viperous brood of Parricidos whose inuenomed shafts I passe by with contempt neglecting whether such dogs barke snarle or fawne Dum conscientiae satisfacio nihil in famam laboro sequatur vel mala dum bene mereor darke shadowes doe no lesse attend beautifull then deformed bodies in brightest Sunshine If I should labor other satisfaction it were an effect of frenzy not of hope since it is no trueth but opinion which trauelleth the Coasts without pasport that I am to suruey If thou read iudiciously without partiality I expect thy fauorable censure of this task meditated wheÌ„ the raging waues of stormy Seas incensed with thundring winds aduanced deaths pale colours to the terrour as well of Mariners as Passengers penned after my safe exposall vpon a forraigne shore when the sad remeÌ„brance of some of my friends familiars lately sunke into the vnsatiable belly of the vast Ocean much distempered my braine and confused my memory now published to the praise of that supreame Maiestie by whose grace I hope hereafter in a more calme aire to erect a thankfull memoriall of so great a deliuery Farewell P. S. VOX VERA IT is the humour of ambitious seditious and scismatiticall spirits in the entry of their designes to studie popularitie Fauor in apud Stob. and being drunke with vulgar applause the vaine glory thereof raiseth their conceits many strains higher then really they are as if Greatnesse and Wisdome ingrauen in their forehead by open force or subtill perswasion might surprize both enemies and friends Lact. lib. 3. Philost when in true portraiture they resemble the rearers vp of Babel the Furies that most torment the world and that Cerberus that sets open hell gates to let loose such spirits as fill the world with imposture in this period or rather dregs of decaying time 2. Tim. cap. 3. v. 2.3.4.5 wherein the imperious nature of domination in irregular minds cannot indure limitation but must and will range abroad in the wide wilde-field of humours and draw attentiue Auditors to the Prologue of such Tragedies as are embellished with showes of great matters or rather false hopes to conquer the world with the Sword of the Spirit as if all others were possessed with a Lethargie or Frensie extreme diseases that cannot bee cured with Manna and gentle remedies and that such Quacksaluers are onely the Phisitians to cure the world so deadly distempered Euâ— histor Eccles Thus from the beginning hath God left some remnants of Cananites to proue Israel by them to teach them ware that did not know it before thereby trying the faith and patience of his Church which neuer wanteth Seminaries of Atheisme and brochers of lewd libertie who vnder religious habit are the sole enemies to all religion Floren. Schon Sub hoc mantili euerriculo multarum fraudum ferâ—â—da ingenia violentiam naturae aut profundam ambitionem velare student The time allotted to these ensuing obseruatioÌ„s should run out The Induction before I brought to the view of the Reader the least part of those instances of this kind wherwith both Churches and States haue been infected or poysoned all which I will leaue and onely bring to the Stage some few of the most recent disloyall practises and selfe conceited scismaticall opinions of home-bred pharisaicall hypocrites that blush not to assume the face of an harlot surrepticiously chalenge the title of the Church send abroad such positions as labor to draw soueraigntie into contempt annihilate iust lawes taint superiour powers with disgracefull notes and erect democracie or orderlesse confusion in both Church and State if the most deuouring stomach of ambition or singularitie could swallow such choking morsels before it come at them Ludit in humanis deuina potentia rebus He that made the world can make such learn by their errors Plus est in artifice quam in arte Would to God I could saile by some other point of the Compasse then by that which directeth my course against those rockes of diuision or sinking shallowes of disloyaltie whereupon it is likely some Separatists from the Church of great Britaine are already ship-broken and that others yet tossed with scismaticall stormes are like to be cast vpon the same Coast Let it not then seeme strange to the eye of preiudicate opinion that the common obligation of euery good subiect tieth me to expostulate against the malitious forgeries of such enemies to peace as vncouer these Trophes of disgrace which they haue erected to tell their shame to posteritie and to sound the depth of these riotous misdemeanours which in my late suruey of the vnited Prouinces I haue seene at Amsterdam and other places where dispersing of infamous Libels might either curry fauour in the eye of licentious Libertines malecontented Fugitiues or professed Enemies There I did behold euery Bookesellers shop and most Pedlers stalles loaden with the nullitie of Perthes assembly the Altar of Damaseus the Dialogue betwixt Theophilus and Cosmophilus the Speech of the Church of Scotland to
of Gods presence and the snafle that curbeth the pride selfe-conceit and presumption of vnstayed spirits who oft times in repining against Magistracy are authours in their owne destruction Thus haue you heard how Didoclauius and Philadelphus doe tilt at King and Clergy now you shall heare another bird of that same feather runne the wild-Goose chase at Councell and Court taking aime through a false looking glasse lately framed by a Scotish Separatist and steeled or put in a rauing stile at Leiden by an English Brownist Specul bell Sacr. pag. 97. A forme-changing Proteus saith this new Doctor a trecherous Seianus a time seruing Abiathar a Statizing Achitophel a calumniating Doeg are the only Councellours but Constantine tryed his Courtiers fidelitie to him by their piety towards God but now a man truly religious is thought vnfittest for state affairs a The Doctors reason because they cannot say he is an honest man but with this conditionall if he were not a ranke Puritan The first part of this bold vntrue calumny deserueth rather the examination of a whip then of a pen or of a pillory then of a reply yet I wish that the fond foole the Authour should know that his Maiesty hath moe truly religious wise learned loyall Councellours and Courteours then there be honest men Puritans of his opinion in the whole world in which large circumference I doe verily thinke there is not one On the contrary I may truly affirme that there be few Courts or Statesmen in Europe or elsewhere can paralell none exceed either the fidelity or integrity of those in great Britaine if all be not a like affected or any otherwise enclined then human eyes can see or the wisdome of a wise King preuent God must be their iudge and their conscience their witnesse A runnagate that hath put his hand from Gods plough This Lybeller was once a Minister but did lately cōmence Doctor of physicke at Leiden and turned Quackesaluer is not to censure those whom he ought not to name but with honourable humble respect The brethren of his owne profession whom he calleth truly religious and whom in all his applications hee thinketh the only able men to rule both Church Court and Campe are thought vnfit as he saith for State affaires To that part I answer that euery good subiect hath great cause to thanke God that our King is more wise then to admit any into his Councell or affaires of State whom all men besides themselues know to be fairded with false colours of religion and more fit to be fagots for combustion of State then to be helpers in supporting the heauy frame of Empire because diseases of this kinde are hereditary to most of this family infusing from one to another a taint or staggers in their vitall spirits as if they were bitten with a mad Dog which frenzie maketh them vnseruiceable either in Church or Commonwealth but specially to bee vncapable to bee vpon Councell of Kings who are the onely barres that impeach their proceedings for this cause they cunningly labour to induce the people to condole their yoke of obedience cast off such fetters and purchase their libertie The reason which the Doctor giueth is like his physicall receipts which trouble his patients more then the disease for certainly if we may call these Puritans whom this lybeller esteemeth to be so King Councell and Court haue iust cause to take exception at the very name which is but a staine of Puritanisme for my part if it bee lawfull to iudge men by their actions I may safely say that he can neuer be an honest man to God and to his countrey that conceiueth such damnable thoughts farre lesse he that publisheth such hellish positions and that besides all other poysonable trash euery where intermixt in this Doctors bitter pilles this one Colaquintida so corrupts all his other drugs that it proclaimeth him to to be an impudent rayler a Pseudo-puritan or rotten hearted hypocrite and not a Puritan of which number I wish my selfe and all others to be if human infirmitie might aime at such perfection so long as it is clothed with mortalitie But thus it falleth out that as well the best men as their best actions set and performed on the conspicuous Theater of the world are alwayes attended and entertained with blacke detraction and calumnie the deformed Brats of malecontents ignorance or enuy who loath the Nectar-like drops that fall from heauen vpon sweet flowers and delight onely to sucke the poysonable iuyce of gall and wormwood Hence it is that factious spirits violently agitated with outragious passion of singularitie enuy anger desire of rule and popular applause are onely quiet in commotions Stob. apud Plut. peaceable in tumults happy in calamities disaffecting no lesse amicable concord then regal power and authoritie thereby offring vnto Gods deputies and their iust commands the pests and poysons of their infected and ill affected minds imitating those barbarous nations who in their sacrifices did offer the gall and vilest parts of their beasts What can we call the malitious censuring of sacred persons or designes but a kind of sacriledge and blasphemy both against God and Kings of whom all discourse ought to be full of Religion reuerence and respect O mercifull God! what wit is able to sound the depth of those dangerous euils whereinto the malitious nature of scismaticall sedition vailed with religion is able to sinke it selfe rather then to acknowledge error in those things which it hath taken vpon it to defend Course of conformitie pag. 88. against the streame of publike resolution ranked in the eyes of singularitie with the most tyrannous gouernement that euer did see the Sun Miserum est peccare miserius delectari miserrimum excusare tum demum consumata amentia est cum ad studium malum opinio quedam pietatis accesserit The motto of Iacke Straw Wyat Kett was viuat Euangeliū now the pretext of conscience is a cullour of disobedience to euery casheerd Leuite or ignorant consistorian whose studies are by wresting Scripture to destroy vnitie beget a scisme in the hearts or subiects and make it their common place in writings discourse or in the Pulpit to leape from the liues of their flockes to enueigh against gouernment and presumptuously incroach without all reuerence vpon the affaires of Princes as they were able to demolish the walles of the Church shake the foundations of the State and liue Libertines without controlement When authoritie commaundeth any thing that is to be presumed not against but for aduancement of Religion I would gladly know who is to be confer whether the things commanded be lawfull or not or whether some singular contentious or malecontented spirits transported with wrong ends may oppose the Church in his Maiesties lawes giuing life vnto them If Authoritie at any time swerue from the strict obseruance of religion in its owne integritie in matters of discipline that remissenes ought to