The Kings Shoe, Title page – Dedication
THE KINGS SHOE. MADE, AND ORDAINED TO TRAMPLE ON, AND TO TREADE DOWNE EDOMITES; To teach in briefe, what is Edoms doome; what the carefull condition of a King; what the Loyall submission of a subiect, and what Proiects are onelyonly to best purpose. Deliuered in a Sermon before the King at Theobalds, October the ninth, 1622 by WILLIAM LOE, Doctour of Diuinity, Chaplaine to his Sacred Maiestiy in ordinary.
In re sartoria sutore opus est. Sarata tecta erit res, si sutor non vltra crepidam.
Anonym.
LONDON, … by I. L. for William Sheffard, and are to bee sold at his shop, at the entring in of Popes head Allie out of Lumbard street. 1623.
To his most worthy friends Master WILLIAM FREEMAN, and Master RAPHE FREEMAN Merchants, a most naturall, and most louing paire of true-hearted brethren, Patrones of Pietie, Patternes of much good. Grace be multiplied in Christ.
LOuing, and beloued brethren. Your true, naturall, honest, and heartie affections, your mutuall concurrence, and concordance in your Matrimonies, Patrimonies, legall Trade, and brotherly Trust; your Pious practice in endeuouring to recon… vnneighbourly grudges, and in composing of con… among those of your owne ranke, and pro…, your true, and hearty louelove to Soueraigne, …, Citie, and Country, and your well wishing all; but especially your vnfained louelove to God, and … charity to the distressed, as they doe suffi… vindicate you from all aspersions of Malig…, vnlesse they are incarnate deuils, and deterre … black-mouthed Shemei, or rayling Rabshekah once to dare to vent any the least misprision of you in these particulars, so would they continue blessed memorials vntounto you, albeit I had neuer beene borne, or these my lines had neuer beene directed vntounto you; yea as these blessings from God stirre vp all good mindes to louelove your ciuility, courtesie, Mansuetnesse, and good natures; so also are they as Precedents of godly disposition to others, who seeking after grace striue to imitate, and expresse that in themselues, which they behold, and see in you. Flattery I hauehave euer hated, and accounted it the very basery of basenesse, yea I know it dwels no where, but in a base beggerly, and degenerate breast. It is a plaine Manifesto, to as many as know you, and mee that not only publike Motiues, but priuate also both inuite, and enforce me to the tendering of this my louelove, or rather to the rendering of this my thankfulnesse vntounto you for your charity extended, both to my dead, and to my liuing. And I trust the God of heauen for Christ his sake will neuer wipe out that Christian kindenesses which you hauehave shewed to both. Touching this occurrence, you see in the frontispice what the summe is, which because it gaue some content to his sacred Maiestie; and for that I was not able, it being an itinerant Sermon so fully to expresse my self being streightned with shortnes of time, & for asmuch as diuers desired (because it was an vnusual Scripture to be handled) that, what I had deliuered with some speed in the voyce of a liuing Man to a few, might be published to the view of many, I hauehave beene contented to bury it in a dead letter, and subiect it to the censure of more then a good many curious in this censorious age. Especially hauing considered that indeed a mans liuely voyce moueth much, yet a mans writing teacheth more. Words spoken are foreign, but writings are monuments, and memorials, words reach to them that are neere, writings to them that are farre off. Words to them that are aliue, writings to them that are yet v…borne. Speech profiteth the auditorie to whom we speake, but writing profiteth all, and he that preacheth profiteth for an houre, but he that writeth profiteth for euer. These considerations I say perswaded me to this ouerture. And the best is, that vsuall by word of Ne sutor vltra crepidam, cannot iustly be obtruded vponupon me. For I being conscious to my selfe of mine owne vnworthynesse medled not aboue my reach with the Kings Sword, Robes, or Crowne, but as my text pointed to his foot, so there did I cast downe my selfe at the feet of Maiestie, and tendered my seruice, and dutie both to God, and to the King, in all submission, both of a subiect, and seruant; and I hope to the glory of God. Scoffing Ismaelites, mocking Esa…itz, maleuolent Iebusits, vnbeleeuing Atheists, and profane Achrists vsually take offence at the plainenesse of such texts; but where the holy Ghost speaketh familiarly as it were of set purpose, I had rather vndergoe ten thousand scoffes, and disgraces of such miscreants, then in the least decline the blessed intendment of so infallible an inditor, and so vndoubted a pen-man. Such giddy spirits, and dizzie braines of foolishwise worldlings may as well scoffe at Gideons wet, and dry Fleece, his barley cake, his stratageme ofIudg. 6. 39. 40 Iudg. …. 13. Iudg. …. 16. Iudg. 15. 4. Gen. …1. 1. 2. Gen. 44 12. Gen. 49. 14. Hosh. 7. v. 8. Ios. 9. 3. trumpets, and lamps in pitchers, at Iosephs leane, and fat kine, Sampsons foxes; Beniamins cup in his sacke, at Isachar the strong asse, at Ephraims a cake on the harth not turned, at the Gibeonites old clouted shoes, and diuers such like passages which are vponupon record in the old Testament. And in the new Testament at those familiar resemblances of the sower, of him thatMat. 13. Mat. 22. Rom. 9. 21. Mat. 13. 33. Apoc. 3. 3. Luk. 17. 37. made a marriage for his sonne, and ordained a great supper, of the Potters vessels, of the woman that leauened her bread, of the bridgeroome, of the theefe, of the dead carcasse, and the like. All which plainely shew vntounto vsus the exceeding fauour, and louelove of our God, who hath bin pleased to subiect his blessed spirit to speake vntounto vsus (sinnefull wretches) as things are, and ofttimes in vsuall, ordinary, and familiar phrases to reueale vntounto vsus high and heauenly misteries. Not that hereby the Maiesty of Gods spirit is in the least disdignified, or disgraced, but rather thereby much magnified, and highly honoured. For this apparantly sheweth how contrariant the gracious Spirit of God is vntounto the gay, and garish glozings of the sonnes of men, wh… for the most part study to inuent, and deuise, huge, haughty, and houen words gilding them with outward lustre, enameling and varnish, and all to no other end, but to set out some rusty, rotten, & despicable designe, Wheras the work of Christs spouse is, to make borders of gold enameled with siluer. Men of thisCant. Sol. 1. 11. world guild siluer with gold; but God guilds gold with siluer. The king of heauens daughter is all glorious within, the daughters of the sons of men are al gloriousPsal. 45. 13. without. Hypocrisie blancheth, Sincerity is simple, plaine, and pure. The plainenesse of this text will not offend good, and honest hearts, who may hence learne in briefe, and as it were in a vewe what is the doome of profanenesse, even to be trampled on, and to be troden downe, what is the carefull condition of kings, what our loyall submission to our Soueraigne, what Sanctity is required in our selues, and what sincerity in all our Proiects, and practises. What euer this be, I tender it vntounto you (most louing brethren) not onelyonly as a pledge of mine vnfeined louelove and affection, but also as a peece of my thankfulnesse, intending it also to the benefite of others. The God of heauen blesse you both in all your legall, and godly affaires, prosper you, your children, and all your whole tribe, and grant you, and all yours eternall happinesse in the … mercies of Christ in whom I am.
Yours much deuoted, and e…er to be commanded, WILLIAM LOE.