A Preparative to Contention, Book · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
The practiſe of the enemie troubling the Church and the Common-wealth of England. The ingratitude and diſcontentation of Engliſh-men.
WHy ſhould we note only the generall griefes, and point at that which ſeemeth ſo farre hence? Let vsus rather (as we be iuſtly moued) draw homeward, and we ſhal diſcry many miſerable Vanities,Vanities in England. (I ſay▪ not vnderunder the Sunne, but) euen heere in this particular part of Europe. I doubt not, but that the wiſe Chriſtian will (as the wiſe Patient) permit me with the Phiſitian,The enemy … entred on our … Church, & Commonwealth, and therin ſowen the ſeeds of diſcontentation and trouble. firſt to diſplay, and then to preſcribe medicines for mans maladies.
Mans mortall foe, hath too boldly intruded himſelfe both into our Church and into our Commonwealth, and by an vſurped tyrannie, daily diſturbeth and troubleth the tranquilitie and peace of the ſame. And therein men being enflamed, are become in ſteed of reaſonable and Chriſtian, brutiſh and prophane: they are growne contentious, haultie, vainglorious, ambitious, wrathfull, enuious, contumelious, gluttonous, couetous, faithleſſe, and as ſaith the Poet, An vnprofitable Charge of the earth, Telluris invtile pondus. Homer.whom neither one ſimple and right Religion can content or pleaſe: but, as among the Philoſophers, ſome Stoikes, ſome Epicures, ſome Academikes, ſome Peripatikes: and, as of the Lawiers, ſome Caſsianes, ſome Sabianes, ſome Proculianes: and as among the Iewes, ſome aIuſtitiarij.Saduces, ſome bLegis expoſitores.Phariſes, ſome cOperarii.Eſſees: and as in their Vniuerſities, ſome Libertines, ſome Cyrenians, ſome Alexandrians, ſome Cilicians, ſome Aſians, &c: ſo now they excogitate and inuent diuers hereſies or Sectes, in their choyſe, of ſtraunge conceited opinions of ſome certaine perſons, into the which, they lyke well to diuide themſelues,Luke 15.28. and trauayle therein (as in moſt intricate Labyrinthes) without any ende or perfection at all. In the meane time, they doo (with that glorious Clergie of the Iewes) chower againſt the Church of Chriſt, and lyke vntounto that diſcontented and moſt diſdainefull Elder Brother, they will not vouchſafe to enter into the houſe of ioy and gladneſſe with the yoonger Brother, there to reioyce in right concord and contentation: though the Good Father himſelfe come foorth and verie gently and friendly entreat them to come in.
Eccle. 13.19. Hyena, is a ſubtile wild beaſt, that by counterfeiting mās voyce beguileth him. Luke 2.35. Lytta is the worme in a dogs toong, that makes him madde. Prou. 30.15.For this purpoſe, Hyena trieth eueryevery mans nature to the vttermoſt, Sathan ſifteth Peter as wheate, and the very ſoule of Mary is ſo deeply pearced with the ſword, that except this miſchief be timely obſerued, and the inconuenience thereof wiſely preuented, lewd Lytta will breede madde melancholy, and the Horſe-leaches two daughters that know not to crie ho, will deuour and conſume altogither. For Lucifer being caſt out of heauen, and hauing no power left him to aſcend thither againe, lieth like an vnprofitable braunch in the depth of the earth, where hee hath enkindled ſuch a fire, as cannot bee quenched with mightie ſtreames of water.
2 In truth, we Engliſh-men (far beyond all other nations vnderunder the Sun) are worthily occaſioned with glad harts and appeaſed minds to praiſe the name of our moſt mercifull God, for this ſo good a ſtate of our Church & Common wealth, as we hauehave had, and yet do enioy, vnderunder the moſt happie gouernment of our moſt Chriſtian Princeſſe Queene Elizabeth, whome the preſeruer of Princes long proſper & protect: And we may pray,Iſay. 39.8. with King Hezekiah, that this Trueth, that is to ſay, this quiet and peaceable State wherein the light of Iſrael ſhineth, may be continued accordingly. And it cannot be denied, but that many good men in many ages (whoſe blood hath confirmed their witneſſe of Chriſt) hauehave groned for, and yet could not ſee ſuch bleſſed dayes: and that, when by the goodneſſe of God, the godly in their times did happily ſee theſe & ſuch like heauenly commodities and bleſsings granted to men, they were moſt glad, and congratulated in the ſame, with right heauenly praiſes vntounto the Lord.
Alas, why is it then, that now men waxe wearie of prayer? wearie of Gods ſeruice? wearie of the word of God? wearie of true obedience? wearie of peace and quietneſſe? wearie of goodneſſe? wearie of God? and how commeth it to paſſe,Engliſh men be not cōtent with their great bleſsings. that Engliſh men in lieu of forraine pleaſures, doo diſdaine their home commodities? How is it, that ſo many of them hauehave ſuch vnquiet cōſciences, ſuch ſtrange conceits, and are neuer cōtented with whatſoeuer good thing the Lord God in his merciemercy enricheth them? May they be accounted a choſen generatiō, an holy prieſthood, and the children of the moſt high, that ſo yern and murmure againſt him in their hearts euerie day? But vntounto them (me thinketh) I heare one applying this fable: The Aſſe and the Ape do both complain: the one, for that he hath not hornes: the other, becauſe hee wanteth a tayle: to whome, the Moule or want thus anſwereth: But if, that ye did well conſider of my miſerable blindneſſe, ye wold not ſo complaine of ſuch your want. Such as neuer felt the bitterneſſe of thraldome and bondage, do not acknowledge the rare benefit of freedome and libertie. But if theſe perſons did well thinke on the miſerie of the Nations and Countries neare about vsus, and of the infelicitie of our forefathers, wanting indeede thoſe bleſsings which we hauehave, or might in this our time enioy, and they with vsus; they would gladly content themſelues in peace, & expreſſe their grateful minds to God our heauenly father; for all the great goodneſſe that he hath graunted vntounto vsus, and to them, in the abundance of his mercies: yea, they would heartily praiſe the liuing Lord for his benefits,Pſal. 107.8. and preach of the wonders that hee hath wrought for the children of men.Men be forgetfull of benefits, and alſo of old afflictions. Gen. 3.1. Luke. 16. 2. Pet. 2.4. Iude. 6. But they remember not the wife of Loth, which was turned into a pillar of Salte, nor Adam and Heuah, which were both thruſt our of Paradize, when they beganne to bee diſcontented with thoſe pleaſures which the Lorde had allotted them there: nor the rich-man in hell, who at length wiſhed to bee eaſed when it was too late: nor the Angels, which forſaking their firſt eſtate (in the rage of their diſcontentation) were caſt downe headlong and reſerued to the iudgement of the great day, in euerlaſting Chaines of darkeneſſe: All theſe examples are blotted out of their memories. They hauehave alſo quite forgotten all the afflictions of Ioſeph, and all the euer hee did for them in Egipt: as the men of the third and fourth generation after, knowe not their former friendes and benefactors, nor make any enquirie of their auncient good deedes ſhewed to them and their Fathers. And they hauehave cleane baniſhed from their mindes, all thoſe great good workes and notable wonders, that the Lorde hath declared on their fathers, and on many of them alſo, in leading them ſafely through the Marian flouds with the preſeruation of theyr heauenly foode and ſpirituall prouiſion, to ſee and enioy theſe calme Halcyon dayes of peace and Chriſtian proſperitie. But,Iuuenal. being pearked vp with the preſent lōg leagues, tranquilitie, peace and proſperitie (which as we ſee hath alſo inconueniences) they be grown therwith ſo wanton,Omnes cum valemus bonum conſilium aegrotis damus. Ter. that, as they which be in health do giuegive good counſell to them that be ſicke, which counſell themſelues in any theyr extremities can ſcarce follow: they can eaſily promiſe now beeing in health (as they thinke) not only to themſelues continuall reſt, quietneſſe, and a defence againſt all daungers: but alſo to others that bee in trouble, they proffer the like ſecuritie without God: as if themſelues were Lordes of Hell and Death, and had all proſperitie, and all troubles in theyr owne propper power to diſpoſe: then the which, nothing can be more fooliſh, nor more repugnant to the wiſedome of God.
3. Now, in equall cenſure,Afflictions be ſometimes meeter for men, thē proſperitie. Scipio. what may be thought meeter for ſuch perſons, then bitter warres, hard afflictions, miſeries at home, enemies abroade, (as once Scipio iudged of the caſe of the Romanes, for whoſe better proweſſe & diligence, he thought it right neceſſary, that Carthage remained an enemie vntounto them.) Neither hath the Lord God himſelfe permitted his people ſo to ſtincke on the dregs of proſperitie, but hath rolled them with many afflictions vppon ſuch occaſions, as thereof he hath ſaid, by the Prophet Hoſeah:Hoſ. 6.14. I will be vntounto Ephraim, as a Lion, and as a Lions whelpe to the houſe of Iudah: I, euen I will ſpoyle, and goe away: I will take away, and none ſhall reſcue it; I will goe and returne to my place, till they acknowledge their fault and ſeeke me: In their affliction, they will ſeeke me diligently.
Of theſe things, if they once taſted but one dram of the bitterneſſe,They bee fooles that acknowledge not preſent benefits, but negligently let them paſſe away. (with thoſe other Nations) they would ſoone chaunge their mindes and opinions, as in a caſe ſodainly altered, & acknowledge of what great bleſsinges they hauehave depriued themſelues, through ſuche their monſtrous ingratitude. Till then, they ſhall bee numbred vppe among thoſe fooles, that confeſſe not a good thing whiles they hauehave it in their handes, but, being thereof depriued, they do moſt earneſtly (but all in vaine) craue and deſire it.Ier. 8.14. The Lord God graunt this, that we be not put to ſilence, and that we hauehave not water mixt with gall to drinke, becauſe we hauehave offended him in theſe our diſcontentations: then may we ſeeke for comfort againſt ſorrow: but ſorrow ſhall come vponupon vsus, and heauineſſe ſhall vexe our harts, that the health of the people ſhall not be recouered with the helpe of all the Phiſitians or triakle in Gilead (as the Prophet ſaith) The wiſe will ponder theſe things,Pſal. 107.43. and they only ſhal vnderſtand the louing kindneſſe of the Lord towardes them and their children:Gen. 49.14. but Iſachar, though a great boned Aſſe, ſhall couch downe betweene two burthens: and being depriued worthily of that good thing which they ſometime vnwoorthily poſſeſſed, they ſhall be moued to confeſſe, that God was among them, and they knew it not.Gen. 28.16.