The Joy of the English Church for the Coronation of Pious Prince James, Title page – Dedication
ECCLESIA TRIVMPHANS: that is, THE IOY OF THE ENGLISH CHVRCH, FOR THE happie Coronation of the most vertuous and pious Prince, IAMES by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, defendour of the faith, &c. and for the ioyfull continuance of religigion and peace by the same.
With a briefe Exposition of the 122. Psalme, and fit application to the time; wherein are declared the manifold benefits like to grow by these good beginnings to the Church and Commonwealth of England.
Dedicated to the most gratious Ladie and vertuous Princesse, Ioland Anna, by the grace of God, Queene of England, Scotland, France, &c.
Prov. 28. 2.
When the righteous are in authoritie, the people reioyce.
Psal. 118. 23.
This was the Lords doing, and it is maruelous in our eyes. v. 24. This is the day which the Lord hath made, let vsus reioyce and be glad in it.
PRINTED BY IOHN LEGAT, Printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge. 1603.
And are to be sold in Pauls Churchyard at the signe of the Crowne by Simon Waterson.
To the most noble and vertuous Princesse, the Ladie ANNA, by the grace of God Queene of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland: A. W. wisheth all spirituall comforts and encrease of honour in this life, and euerlasting ioy in the next.
MOst gracious Ladie, and noble Princesse) whē Zerubbabel that faithfull prince of Iuda beganne to build the temple, with the stone of tinne in his hand,Zachar. 4. 10. the people reioyced: but when he had finished the worke, and brought forth the head and chiefe stone thereof, then shoutings vvere heard, of those that cried, grace, Zachar. 4. 7.grace vntounto it. If then the people of God in this kingdome had great cause to reioyce, when religion began first to be planted, and the spirituall building of the Church to be reared, much greater ought our ioy now to be, when we see religion continued, and hope, if any thing yet be wanting, that the same in good time may be perfited.
Others will striue diuersly to expresse the ioy of this happie day, and to solemnize the entrance and initiation of so religious and much desired raigne of your Highnes louing lord and our gracious Soueraigne: some by pleasant pageants and shewes, some by valiant and martiall feates of armes and iustings, some by rich and costly presents and gifts: but we among the rest, the Ministers of the Gospell of Christ, both by preaching and setting forth the great mercies of God towards vsus, and by writing to conserue a perpetuall memorie thereof, will consecrate our tongues and pennes to this seruice: that we may say with the kingly prophet Dauid, My tongue is the penne of a readie writer, Psal. 45. 1.I will entreat in my works of the king.
Your Grace hath great reason to be glad of this day, whose honour able estate is thereby enlarged, according to the rule of the law, Mulier marito concrescit▪ Iustini…n▪ cod. lib. 3. tit. 4. leg▪ 28.the ladie encreaseth with her lord: your royall issue and princely heire reioyceth, whose noble title of inheritance is augmented: your Highnesse faithfull seruants and domesticalls hauehave not the least part in this common ioy, whose true and diligent seruice, is like to be highly recompenced. But all these ioyes, which particularly in any of these may be singled, in the Church and commonwealth of England doe all concurre and are not onelyonly dubbled, but multiplied. God, hath giuen in his merciemercy to vsus, both a comfortable husband to his▪ Church, a carefull parent to the Commonwealth, an honourable Master▪ to all honest and louing subiects. The first shall hauehave (we trust) ioyfull experience of his Christian pietie, the second of his fatherly benignitie, the third of his princely equitie: that both Church may say with the spouse in the Canticles.Cant. 1. 3. We will remember thy louelove more then wine; and the Commonwealth as the Prophet of Eliakim,Isa. 22. 21. he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Ierusalē; and▪ be whole realme, as the same prophet saith, he shall be called a repairer of the breach, Isa. 58. …1.and a restorer of the decaied pathes.
And now most noble Queene, seeing God hath aduanced your H. to this great honour, honour him againe that hath honoured you. Forget not him that hath remembred you, and serue him faithfully, that hath preuented you with blessings liberally. Two Annaes are famous in scripture:1. Sam. 1. Anna of Elkanah for her godly posteritie in Samuel, Anna of Phanuel for her deuout pietie in praying in the temple.Luk. 2. 36. Elka…ab, whose wife the first Anna was, signifieth, the possession of God: Phanuel, whose daughter the second was, is as much to say, the sight of God. Anna also is interpreted, gratious, or mercifull. Answerable vntounto these names were the effects: the first had a vertuous sonne Samuel, a possession of God in deede: the second saw Christ in the temple and confessed him: and both of them were vertuous women. God graunt vntounto your Highnes the possession of Elkanah, encrease of spirituall sight, and knowledge with Phan…els daughter, and to be a right Anna, both to fin… grace with God, and to shew merciemercy and compassion to men.
Two other of this honourable and Christian name, Anna, I finde in the Chronicles of this nation, both vertuous Queenes, your Highnes worthie pr…decessours, one wife to Richard the 2. sister to Wincelaus king of Bohemie; the other, ladie Anna Bullen, wife to king Henrie the 8. and mother to our late gratious Soueraigne Q. Elizabeth. The first is honoured for her studie in the Scriptures; who had in those blind daies the 4. Euangelists in English,Fo… p. 507. col. 1. and the doctors of the Church vponupon the same. The other is commended for her excellent vertues;Fo… …. 10▪ …. as her sinceriti… in true religion, her Christian charitie and princely liberalitie toward the poore, whose almes giuen that way in three quarters of a yeare, are summed to be 13. or 14. thousand pound. And now God hath sent vsus a third Queene Anna, which we trust in all these princely vertues as shee continueth the Christian name, so will reviue the honourable fame of these vertuous matrones. That innocent ladie Queene Anna Bullen, though by the malice of her aduersaries traduced, yet both by her godly death, and Gods blessing vponupon her posteritie is sufficiently cleared. At her coronation these verses were exhibited:
Regina Anna, paris regis de semine nata
Et paries populis aurea saecla tuis.
As Anna Queene of princely race doth equally descend,
So to her people golden daies her offspring shall extend.
These propheticall verses, if I may so call thē, had their due accomplishment afterward, in the happie issue of this Ladie, then vnborne, Queene Elizabeth, by whome indeede this Church of England enioyed a golden time: such as the like (as his Maiestie saith) hath not been read nor heard of since the daies of the Romane Emperour Augustus. Prefac… to the Reader in foreign.And it is the comfortable hope of this nation of England, tha… God hath raised your Highnes vp another fruitfull Anna, by whose royall offspring this lanà may long hauehave fruition of like golden and happie daies, which God in his merciemercy graunt.
The Lord make your grace, vntounto his Maiestie, … D…borah to Baruch, as Huldah to Ios…, as Esther to … A…ashuer…sh: Christ Iesus graunt you the pietie of Rebecca, that consulted with God, the zeale of M…riam, that praised God,2. Sam. 14. the knowledge of the Teko…,2. Sam. 20. that perswaded Dauid, the wisdome of the matron… of Abel that deliuered the citie, the charitie of the Shunamite,2. King. 4. that prouided for the Prophet: that the Church of God… beholding your zeale toward God, your … to his Chur…; desire to the truth, obedience … his word, humilitie in your high estate▪ merciemercy and pietie toward the po…re members of the Church, constancie in vertue and all goodnes, may blesse you with the saying of the wise man of the godly matrone;Prov. 31. 29. many daughters hauehave done vertuously, but your surmount them all: and that you may be eternally blessed in heauen, that in that day it may be pronounced to your comfort▪ vers. ….GiueGive her of the fruit of her hands, &c.
Your Highnes readie to be commanded in the Lord, Andrew Willet, Minister of the Gospel of Christ.