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Show 1 16 .: Ohfortz~ation.l Hpon a Libell, publifht·d; I~ Anno I 59~· The states of Germany, have had, for the mofr part, peaceable Germany, Times; But yet they yeeld, to the State of E~gland; N?t only, in the great Honour , of a great Kingdome, ( they betng:s ot a mean stile, and Dignity,) but alfo in many other R.efpeCts, both of Wealth, and Pollicy. . • . The st~tte of S4flOJ, havtng been, tn ~he old :r:u"-.u T1~e, Savoy. 1 go~erncd, in goo.d Profp~rity, ~ath fince, notw1thfrand1~g, thetr new great Alliance, Wtth Spa.tn, wh.ereupon they waxed tnfolent, to defign, to fnatch up, fon:e p1e~ce of France; After t~~ dilbonourable R.cpulfe, from the sez_ge of Gtnt1Ja; deen oft. en dtfi: rdled by a particular Gentleman of Daulpheny; And at th1s prefeot day, the nufte. feeleth, even in Piedmont, ~eyond tke Moun- - uines, of the ~etght, of the fa~e Enemy. Who hath lat_ely fuut up his GateJ, and common Entnes, between Savoy, and Pted-mont. So as hitherto I do not fee but that we are, as tnuch bound, to the .Afcrcies of God, as any o~her N~tiov; Confidcring, _that the Fires ofDiifention, and Oppreffion, tn fom~ Parts ofchriftendom) may ferve us,for LightJ"; to fbew us our Happme./Je: ~nd the goo~ Fjiate.r, of other pl4ces":> which we do congratulate wtth tht'm for,ts fuch nevertheieffe as doth not fl:ain, :md exceed ours : Hut rath;r,doth frillleav~ fomewhat, wherein we may acknowledge, an ordinary 15enedi&ion, of Gosl. . Lafily, we do notmuc~ emulate, the Greatneffi, and Glor;, of Spain the Spaniards; W~o, having. no~ only E~clude4, the PHrtty ~f Religion, butalfo Fortified agatnfr.tt, by thetr Devife, of the InqHtJition; which is a Bnlwar4., agamfr t~e Entrance,. of t~ TrHth of God: Having,in recompen~·e,ofthel: ne~ Purcha[eof J-ort1tgal, . loft, a great part, of their anctent PA.t~ttNot-tte.r, of th.e Low-Colintries; (Being -of far greater· pommodJIJ) and Yalew ,) o~, at the : leafr, holding part thereof, tn fuch fo~t, as mofi of !hetr other Revenewes are fpent there upon theu own: Havtng lately, with muchoifticutty, rather'fO}oothed, _and skinned over, t~en Healed and extinguifued, the Gommottons of Arragrm; ~avmg rather fowed Troubler in Frat~ce, then reaped Affured Frtttt thereof, unto themfelves: Having, from t~e Attemp~, ?f Engl~nd, received scorn, aQd Difrep..tatio1t; Bem~, at t~lS t1me, wtth the stateJ oflt.tly, rather fufpettcd, thenetther Loved, or.Feared: Having in Germany and elfe where, rather much prallife, then any sou~d inteUigenc~, or Amity,: Having no ~uch clear focceffion, as 'they need objeCt, and Reproach) the Incertttmty th.ereof, unto another Nation : Have in the tnd, won a Reputation , rather of AmbitiDn) then Juftice~; And in the purfuit, of ~h~ir Ambitio!f, rather of Much Enterpri.ftng, then of for.tun4te .Atch1evmg; And,tn their E1tltrprijing, rather11 ofDoing Thtngs, by Treafor:e, and Ex-pewee then by Forcei, and V4lour. · · N~w, that I have given the Reader, a Taij of Englttnd, refpectively and in Comparifon, of the Times paft, and of the States . ) ~~~~ ' Obfervation.l upon 11 Libel!, pubiijbed 7 In An~o; 15 9 ~: , . 117 'tlbroad; I will defcend, to examine, the Libellers ·own Divijioiu · Whereupon, let the World judge, how eafily 'and clean thi~ I nfte, which he hath cafr in our faces, is wathed off. . . 3 The Firfr Branch, of the pretmded CalamitieJ, of England; is the great, and wonderfu11, ConfojiNn, which, he faith is in the State of the Ch1~rch; w?ich is fi bdivided, aJ!ain, into t;o parts: Th; one, the Profectet;ons, agatng the Gatholick.J; The other, the Di.f cerds~ and Controverjies, amongfl. our jelves: The former, of which 2. parts, I have made, an Article by it felf; Wherein, l have fet down, a clear, and fim ple, Narration, of the proceedings 'of State againfi that ~o~t ~f s ubjelJs; Addi_ng' this by the way: That ther~ are '2.'lxtremttic.r,m State,concernmg the Cauje1 ofF aith and Relig! o~ · : That is to fay., th.e Permi.f!ion, of the Ex;rcifes, of more R.c/ rgtotN,then.one, whtch ts a dangerous Indulgence, :snd Toleration; the other, ~~the .En!ring, and ~ift~ng, into Mens Conjciences, when no overt Scllndallts gtven; whtch u RigoroHf and Straineable Inq~ tijtion: And I avouch, the proceedings,t~wards the inte~dJ=d Catholickf ,to have been a Mean, between thefe two Extremities· ~efet:ri ng, the !lemonfirat~on thereof, unto the aforefaid Nt~rra~ tton; 1n the Arttcles followtng. t Touching the Divijons, in our ChHrch, the Libeller affirmeth ConcerRiug that the Proteflanticall Caluinifm, (For fo it pltafeth him, wid~ the Conrro-very good· grace, to term t he Rc l igion, with us efinblifhed;) is cvherufriecsh .in our grown, Cont~"!ptible, and petelJed~ of Idolatry, Herejie, and many other {uperflrttous ;tb":fes, b~ a r.urifted.fort of Profe!for,, of the fame Gofpell. And thts Contentron u yet grown, to be more intri-cate, by reafon of a Third Kind, of GoJPeUer.r called Brown-ifrs. Who, being directed) by the great FervoHr, of the Vnholy Ghoji,_ do exp~efly a~rm, that the Proteflanticall f;hurch of 1!-ng/a,rd, IS not gathered! In the name of Chrijt, but of Anti- . chrift : And that , If the Pr~nce, or Magiflrate, u~der her,. do reft,1fe, or defer, to refon;n the Church, the people may, without her Cpnfent, take the lleform4tion, into their own Hand:3 : ~nd hereto, he a~deth, the Fanaticttll PageantofHacl{_et: And this ts the Effect, of thts Accufation, in this point. For Anfwer whereunto; Firft, it mufr be remembred that the chur~h of God, hath been, in all Ages, fubject to Conten:io,nr, ;;~nd Schifmer. The Tdres were notfown, but where the Wne.twas fown before. Our SavioNr Chrifl, delivereth it for an Ill Note to have 0Htward Pe~ce, Saying.; When aflrong Ma~, ir in pojfi:ffion: of the Ho~tfe, ( meantng the Devlll,) all 1 hings tll'e in Peace. It is the C' ondition, of the chureh, to be, ever, under Trials: And there art>, but Two 'Trials: The one,ofrorfecution; The other ofscandalt and Content!fm: And when the One ceafeth,the othe; fucceedeth; Nay, ther~ ts fcarce, any one Epiftle, of Sr. Paulr, unto the Churchei, but contatneth, fo~e R;prekenjiorz, ofunnece/1ttrJ; & schifmaticaU, Controverji~s. Soltltewtfe, Jn the Itaign_, o(conjtantint the Great, after the ume, that the Ch11rch, had obtamed Peace, from perfecuti-on, { |
