Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A56790
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The Bishops looking-glasse, or, The Clergies prospective vvherein they may cleerly see themselves in their persons, offices, in their lives and conversations : laid open by way of inquisition, by the following discourse / by R. P.
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R. P.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing P96; ESTC R3364
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5,230
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8
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THE BISHOPS LOOKING-GLASSE OR THE CLERGIES PROSPECTIVE VVherein they may cleerely see themselves in their Persons Offices in their Lives and Conversations Laid open by way of Inquisition by the following Discourse By R. P. LONDON Printed for F. Coules and W. Ley at Paules Chain 1641. THE BISHOPS Looking-Glasse THere is nothing more necessary for Marriners on the vast Ocean than a Prospective glasse to descry their enemies thereby to defend preserve themselvs looking in such a glasse they my perceive things a far off as neare at hand by which meanes they are the sooner readier to oppose an enemy prevent danger Even so necessary is this Mirror this Land-Glasse I intend to treate of a Parliament in this may be discovered who are enemies and who friends to the Kingdome who are friends and who enemies to themselves In this Glasse may be clearely discerned what dangers are neare and how to avoyd and prevent the same This Looking-Glasse I have denominated the Bishops Mirror or the Clergies Prospective not but that it is necessary yea of absolute necessity for the whole State and body Pollitique of this Kingdome to looke into But my reason why I attribute to it this only denomination is because these Persons of the Clergy as well great Prelates as inferious Ministers have been the only Enemies of this Kingdome as well to the Religion as Civill Laws and Statutes ordained for the Government thereof In this Prospective they may if they looke but in it see cleerly themselves and all their actions they may by the same discerne the danger they are in and what meanes they may best use for prevention thereof And in speaking hereof I shall observe 2 principall things 1 The best way to looke in this Glasse to discerne rightly 2 When having perfect sight herein rightly to descry how to preserve the spectators from danger if they perceive themselves defective And first of the manner of looking in this Mirror that is twofold First as the spectators are constrained to present themselves to the view thereof and secondly as voluntarily of themselves looke therein And by this we may perceive the exceeding vertue of this Mirror in drawing to its view like the Load-stone persons be they never so refractory never so obstinate be their heaâ—ts like Iron this Glasse if but looked into will make them compliable and mollifie their cruell and hard-hartednesse And secondly the vertue thereof in refreshing comforting and curing the wounds sores and diseases the spectators perceive themselves by the same to be infected withall 1 And for the first constrained inspection into this Prospective is a necessary vertue belonging to the same for man by nature given altogether to uncleannes impurity being infected with all kind of wickednes impiety blinded in understanding averse in will and affection to any thing that is good unwilling to looke into and examine themselves or to be discerned and taken notice of by others thereby nourishing and suffering their infectious diseases to spread and increase not onely in themselves to the indangering and hastening of their perpetuall destructions but is catching to others and of such a dangerous nature is this sicknesse of perverse and uncleane spirits that when once caught not easily again to be removed or cured by any ordinary meanes but requires great skill and extraordinary paines to remove and cure the same so that this vertue in this Prospective is for the reasons I have alleaged not only necessary but of absolute necessity 2 Another vertue there is in this Glasse and that is the soveraigne power and efficacy therof in curing and remedyingall diseases and infirmities whatsoever the State is infected withall no ulcer being never so dangerous no sore be it never so infectious but viewing it in this Mirror will receive remedy no discontent or trouble of mind whatsoever of any person of what degree or dignity soever of what function or profession soever â—ut may receive comfort contentment and be pacified if they view themselves in this Prospective and thus much of the 2 prime and soveraigne vertues this Glasse is attended and indowed withall I come now to pâ—osecute my intentions touching the right manner of looking into this Mirror and that as I said is twofold 1 Constrained obedience in presenting themselves to the view of this Glasse the soveraigne power of this Mirror in this particular I have somewhat already touched only serving for proof of the necessity of this vertue I now will handle the vertue it selfe the power and soveraignty of this Prospective is so great and spatious that it brings within its circumference all persons whatsoever in this Kingdom from the highest to the lowest no person be he never so high in authority never so great in honor and dignity never so well favored and beloved either of his Prince or the People of never so holy a function and profession be he of never so politique and subtle a Wit and Vnderstanding be he never so private in his actions and designes but will he nill he he must view himselfe and be viewed in this Glasse if he be within the Circuit and Compasse thereof and thus much shall serve to bee spoken of the power of this Prospective 2 I come to speake of the willing spectators that present themselves to the view thereof in which I observe these particulars 1 Such persons as by command from the King present themselves cheerfully to his Majesty with their advise and counsels in the service both of their King and Countrey 2 Such persons as present themselves to the view of this great Counsell by Petitions and Complaints wherein they set forth their diseases griefes and infirmities wherewith they are pained and oppressed not naturally infected withall The first of these I will not speake otherwise oâ— than as the only subject of my discourse upon which the second hath its only dependance and from and by which it only expects ease and redresse and this is the only manner and best meanes to discover their griefes and diseases by their Petitions Remonstrances and Complaints and the soonest way for speedy remedy And this brings me to the second thing I intimated at the beginning of this Treatise and that is the diseases and infirmities nay the most dangerousest wounds in a Common-wealth that may be discovered by this Glasse and then the remedies to salve and cure the same 1 The diseases are many and great that have catched and infected both many and great persons and by them cast abroad and spread even over the whole Kingdom I will only name the chiefest and greatest wounds and sores of this State which hath almost brought the same to destruction the persons infected herewith and the Manner of their infecting many others with the same plagues The first disease in this Kingdom was Innovation in Religion 2 Indeavouring to subvert the Laws of this Land 3 To indeavour to overthrow Parliaments and destroy the just rights and Priviledges thereof
the securest and safest way of Governement that ever was in this Kingdom 4 Oppression Injustice and cruell tiranny used and exercised over the persons lives and estates of his Majesties louing subjects by Superiors and men in places of Authority 5 Extortion bribery and the like used in Courts of Iudicature 6 Ship money Leavies Taxes Customes and the like illegally leavied upon the subject 7 And lastly undermining circumvention and overburthening the Subjects by unlawfull Grants Patents and Leases of Offices almost of all CoÌ„modities of Free trade in this Land And thus much of the diseases I come now to the Authors hereof which have procured this generall infection spread throughout the Kingdome and they I conceive to be of the best sort of men the greatest in Honor and Dignity both Spirituall and Temporall as well as the Inferiour As 1 Bishops Deanes Archdeacons Doctors Proctors Ordinaries and other Officers and men of accompt and authority in the Clergy 2 Privy Councellors Peeres Noblemen Lords and others following the Court and have got into their Princes favour 3 Iudges and other Officers in places of Iudicature 4 Pattentees Grantees Lessees and Farmers of Customes and the like These I conceive have been the only authors and producers of all the troubles miseries and diseases of this Kingdome And now I come to the manner of their increasing and spreading these their Plots dangerous actions over the whole Land in which I shall only speake of the Bishops and Clergy this present Treatise being only attributed to themselves and the troubles and distempers by them raised in this body Pollitique is to be considered in three respects 1 In respect of their Persons in respect of their Offices and in respect of their Practises in their Lives and Conversation 1 In respect of their Persons Bishops in great authority and power not only Teachers but Rulers of the Children of God Shepheards over the flock of Christ these persons being infected with Pride Ambition Hautinesse of heart with Popish superstition Ceremonies Arminianisme and the like corrupt in Doctrine and prophane in Discipline infected with Avarice Luxury and all Laciviousnesse puft up with vaine Glory selfe estimation of their own Merits Wisdome and Learning with too much confidency trusting to their own power and the favour of their Prince procured by their subtle wit and wily practises upon their Alliances with Peeres and other Grandees of this Kingdom these persons I say being thus infected looking into this Prospective may discover themselves and their infirmities or rather incommodities with which they are attainted 2 I come now in the second places to their Offices and they are two fold Spirituall and Temporall the first they claime to appartaine to theÌ„ of that function Jure Divino and the latter they usurpe to themselves under pretence of both Swords the Sword of the Spirit and the Sword of the Magistrate By the first they exercise Spirituall Iurisdiction in severall Courts Ecclesiasticall In the latter they administer Civill Injustice Iustice I would have said in Courts of common Iudicature I see in the first part of their usurped authority Spirituall they be infected with Bribery deceipt cruelty oppression and injustice commanding as they are Rulers in the Church things not warranted by the Word of God but altogether contrary and against the same Imagining the inferior Clergy to preach and teach only such things that are delectable to their Palates agreable to their wils and pleasures not the truth but news inventions instruments of the Divell by him only lead ruled and seduced to indeavour to build up the kingdom of Antichrist and hinder the increase and propagation of the Gospel and Kingdom of Christ as superstition Popish Ceremonies nay such corrupt and unfound doctrine which concurres altogether with the doctrin of the Church of Rome binding mens Consciences to the strict observance of their unlawfull commands and injustly punishing with rigor and severity all such as in tender Conscience would not agree or submit to the same and comply with them in their error degrading of them from the Ministery fining imprisoning banishing confiscating their goods nay corporall punishment as pillorcing dismembring branding and stigmatizing of them and such like cruelties by them exercised and used over Godly and Zealous Ministers causing the flight of many hundreds nay thousands into Forraine nations and uninhabited and Savage Countryes to the indangering their lives of themselves their wives and children and the losse of all their fortunes to their utter impoverishment and desolation if God of infinite mercy had not wonderfully preserved them And thus much of the diseases wherewith they have infected their usurped spirituall Iurisdiction I proceed to their temporall In this likewise if they be infected with injustice and opression in their places of Civil Government to indeavour to seduce the Iudges of the Land other officers pertaining to the CoÌ„mon-Lawes of this Land in their opinions and the better to colour their wicked practises to procure them set forth in a high degree the Prerogative of the King his undoubted power and authority over the persons lives and estates of his Subjects when he shal upon his own pleasure command the same That all the subject hath is his that the subject is but as it were tenant at will of any thing he possesseth and that it may be taken away at the pleasurâ— not of their Lord lawfull Soveraigne but at the pleasure of the high and mighty Prelats whoÌ„ neither King nor Kesar must contradict or correct for their insolencies I say if these persons have infected these their Offices usurped either Spirituall or Temporall with any or all of these dangerous sores before mentioned if they looke but in this Christall either by constraint or voluntarily they may receive cure 3 I come now to the last thing I am to speak of concerning this subject and that is the 3 meanes by these persons Prelats and their adherents used to spread abroad their venimous intentions by their actions in their lives and conversations If therfore they be infected in their lives with malice anger hatred revenge of against such as are not flexible to their dispositions yeelding to their desires prophane wanton dallying moâ—king scoffing at the pure and sincere preaching of the Word of God reviling and disdaining the painfull and zealous teachers of the same tollerating approving conniving and wiâ—cking at nay commanding as wâ—â—â— by their Proclamations and Edicts of their owne devising and setting sorth as instancing the same by their owne examples using recreation dancing musick playing drinking whoring c. incouraging and animating wicked and lascivious persons in their ungodly ways placing in the Ministry dissolute and scandalous persons voyd of all feare of God yea of Civill Government of themselves affable and pliable onely to their Superiors that do by their evill examples and erroneous doctrines draw more soules from God to the Devill than I verily beleeve would have fallen away of themselves if no teaching had been since these corruptions have been admitted in Religion both in doctrin and discipline I say if they have been infected with these foule ulcers and diseases iâ— they look into this Mirror they may receive cure I come now in a word or two to the meanes and medicinall remedies whereby these troubles of the Common-wealth are to bee cured and removed and they are these 1 By wholesome Laws by the whole King State made for the restraining of the exercise and longer usage of such corrupt doctrin and discipline superstition and ceremonies introduced and innovated in Religion by these Prelates authors of the same 2 For these persons thus defective penitently to submit themselves to this safe and secure way for their cure and in time leave off their vitious courses and perverse actions by them hitherto practized 3 And lastly if obstinatly they refuse to submit themselves to this way and meanes for their cure but still let their corruption and infection increase to that height that ordinary meanes cannot cure the same then to cut off these as rotten and altogether unprofitable and dangerous members of the Common-wealth is the safest way to prevent future trouble by this infection And thus much for this present Discourse desiring all things amisse in this Kingdom both in Church and State may by this Chrystall Mirror be discovered and rectified to the everlasting peace and tranquillity of his Sacred Majesty and all his Dominions FINIS