A09466:366
A treatise tending unto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of…A treatise tending vnto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of…
A treatise tending unto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of damnation or in the estate of grace and if he be in the first, how he may in time come out of it: if in the second, how he may discern it, and persevere in the same to the end. The points that are handled are set down in the page following.A treatise tending vnto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of damnation or in the estate of grace and if he be in the first, how he may in time come out of it: if in the second, how he maie discerne it, and perseuere in the same to the end. The points that are handled are set downe in the page following.
London: printed by R. Robinson for T. Gubbin, 1590
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
If thou suffer & keep peace in thy self only, thy blessing is the possession of this world: but if thou so love the peace of thy brother that thou leave nothing undone or unsuffered to further it, thou shalt possess heaven. But in this worldly state where thou art no private man, but a person in respect of other, thou must and art bound under pain of damnation to execute thine office. Of thy servants thou must exact obedience, and must not suffer thy self to be despised. If thou art a ruler, thou must take, imprison, and slay to, not of malice and hate to revenge thy self, but to defend thy subjects and to maintain thine office: the ruler must not oppress his subjects with rents, fines and customs, at all, neither pill them with taxes, and such like to maintain his ⟨p. 189⟩own lusts: but be loving and kind unto them as Christ was to him: for they be the price of his blood. I will show my mind more plainly by one example. You are in your fathers house among your brethren and sisters, there if one fight with another, or if any do you wrong, you may not revenge or smite, for that pertaineth to the father only. But if your Father give you authority in his absence and command you to smite, if they will not be ruled but abuse you, then you are another person. Notwithstanding yet you have not put off the first person, but are a brother still, and must ever love and prove all things to rule with love: but if love will not serve, then you must use the office of an other person, or sin against your father. Even so when you are a temporal person you put not of the spiritual: therefore you must ever love, but when love will not help, you must with love execute the office of the temporal person. You must love your neighbour in your hart, because he is your brother in the first state, yet you must obey your ruler who hath power over you, and when need requireth at his commandment you must go with the ⟨p. 190⟩constable or like officer and break open your neighbours door, if he will not open it in the kings name: yea if he will not yield in the kings name, you may smite him to the ground till he be subdued, and look what harm he getteth, that be upon his own head.
If thou suffer & keepe peace in thy selfe onely, thy blessing is the possession of this worlde: but if thou so loue the peace of thy brother that thou leaue nothing vndoone or vnsuffered to further it, thou shalt possesse heauen. But in this worldlie state where thou art no priuate man, but a person in respect of other, thou must and art bounde vnder paine of damnation to execute thine office. Of thy seruants thou must exact obedience, and must not suffer thy selfe to bee dispised. If thou art a ruler, thou must take, imprison, and sley to, not of malice and hate to reuenge thy selfe, but to defende thy subiectes and to maintaine thine office: the ruler must not oppresse his subiects with rentes, fines and customes, at all, neither pill them with taxes, and such like to maintaine his