Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	act_n	king_n	power_n	5,492	5	5.0298	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A97112	A word in season: to all sorts of wel minded people in this miserably distracted and distempered nation. Plainly manifesting, that the safety and wel-being of the Common-wealth under God, dependeth on the fidelity, and stedfast adherence of the people, to those whom they have chosen, and on their ready compliance with them. Also, that the destruction and bondage of the Common-wealth in generall, and of every good minded man in particular cannot be avoided, if the people, through want of consideration, shall give eare to any other counsels or counsellers. Published by authority for the publique good.	Walwyn, William, 1600-1681.; Sadler, John, 1615-1674, attributed name.	1646 (1646)	Wing W695B; Thomason E1184_3; ESTC R208192	5,231	16

A Word in season TO ALL SORTS OF WEL minded people in this miserably distracted and distempered Nation Plainly manifesting That the safety and wel-being of the Common-wealth under God dependeth on the fidelity and stedfast adherence of the people to those whom they have chosen and on their ready compliance with them Also That the destruction and bondage of the Common-wealth in generall and of every good minded man in particular cannot be avoided if the people through want of consideration shall give care to any other counsels or counsellers Proverbs 2.11 2. Discretion shall preserve thee understanding shall keep thee to deliver thee from the way of the evill man from the man that speaketh froward th●ngs Published by Authority for the Publique good London Printed by Thomas Paine dwelling in Red-Crosse-street in Goldsmithe-Alley over against the signe of the Sugar-loafe 1646. A word in season TO ALL SORTS OF WELL MINDED PEOPLE IN this miserably distracted and distempered Nation SINCE as the Scripture speaketh no man hateth his owne flesh but loveth and cherisheth it and that naturally every man seeketh his own good It is very strange seeing we have the helpe of Reason of Ex●erience of the Word of God that ●he right way which leadeth to that End ●hould be so hard and difficult to bee found certainly it cannot be so in it self God hath been more good to man then to make ●hings necessary hard to come by The difficulty will rather be found to a●ise by our owne default from our want of a patient setled serious and religious consideration of things whereby we are continually lyable upon all occasions to be mis-led either by our own evill and eager desires o● by the evill examples of others or by evi● though long setled customes or by the perswasions of politique deceivers into such wayes which though they seem to be strewed with Roses and perfumes yet are the wayes of death and when we least suspect bring us to destruction Our blessed Saviour therefore bids us to b● wise as Serpents because whilst we live in this world we have to doe with Serpents and to beware of Wolves that come to us in sheeps clothing to be innocent as Doves is a most blessed temper of spirit but very unsafe and lyable to every ginne and bird of prey if the wisdom of the Serpent be not joyned therewith Now all the helps of reason of experience or the Word of God produce not this wisdome without consideration advised deliberate consideration such as few in this Nation are accustomed unto without which that which is called knowledge or understanding is not true knowledge nor understanding serving to no publique use at all except to distract and distemper and ve●● and destroy a Nation It is the voice of God himselfe My people will not consider they will not understand without consideration it is ●mpossible to understand any thing as wee ought and without understanding true considerate understanding man is like unto the beasts that perish nor had this Nation ever been thus miserable as it hath been is and is like to be but for want of this kind of consideration in the People so that it may be as truly said of this as of the perverse rash inconsiderate Nation of the Jewes thy destruction is of thy self O England And if ever there were a cause to study and put in practice the wisdome of the Serpent to bewa●e of Foxes that come to us in sheeps clo●hing if ever there were a time requiring the uttermost of wisdom and consideration ●n all sorts of people rich and poore high and low one with another now there is a cause now is the time For never to this day were those who are trusted with the care of the Common-wealth so beset and surrounded with difficulties with unexpected appearances of strange things such as no age can parralell of so high and great concernment as the least miscarriage therein may in a moment of time make void all their long their faithfull and painfull endevours and involve us all into the most miserable bondage that ever over-whelmed any people And therefore however any sort of men may delude themselves if wee doe not al● joyntly and unanimously laying aside al● dis affection for differences in judgement i● Religion patiently setledly and seriously deliberate and consider what every one of us ought to doe in reference to their preservation abandoning all passion and wilfull prosecution of perverse and preposterou● things all jarring and repining at their proceedings this Nation cannot be safe or happie nay cannot but bee miserable and wretched For the greatest and most superlative freedome of this Nation and wherin the safty and welbeing thereof doth reside consisteth in this That Lawes cannot be made Government Ecclesiasticall or Civill cannnot be established or Altered Warre cannot belevied nor Peace concluded nor monye● raised not any thing done but by the Authority of those whom the People themselves doe chuse for Parliament and intrust as their Commissioners with full and compleat power for their good Had it not been by this just Authority Wee had never been freed from the tyrannies oppressions and cruelties of the High Commission Star-Chamber and Councel-board from the burthenous Execution of Forrest-law Court of Honour Commissions of Waste from the Extortions and Exorbitances in the Courtes of justice Chancery Requests from Shipmoney for remission whereof no lesse then twelve Subsidies were required and from all those other innumerable Patents Projects Illegall warrants and Imprisonments Things which the whole Land long groned under though now removed the benefit be unworthily forgotten or mis-attributed to an Act of grace Had it not been for this Authority the Court of Wards had never been abolished that for many Ages hath oppressed the Land Had not this Authority opposed the King had been furnished with monyes to have warred upon our Brethen of Scot●and in his first attempt upon that Nation This Authority in the worst of all former Times when the strongest force and power was upon them ever stuck closest to the intrest of the People nor did the People in the worst of times ever forsake them but maintained Their power and priviledges their Essence and Authority whensoever they called upon them for helpe and assistance nor hath this just and powerfull Authority been more true to the Commons that chose them then to those worthy Lords and Patriots that at any time have assisted them for the common good of the Nation preserving their Honours with as true affection as the liberties of the People no man can name the time that intentionally this Authority ever did injury to any Just intrest either at home or abroad but have borne and suffered much from those that have made an ill use of their lenity and credulity All which is necessary to be remembred and seriously considered in this instant of time beause if these things be seriously laid to heart it may happily expel those poysonous vapors with which

our ayre begins to be infected wee have a generation of forgetfull ingratefull people who because the Parliament cannot yeeld unto all they desire without extreame thraldom to the people in things Ecclesiasticall and Civill are degenerate into a malevolent disposition murmuring and repining at all their proceedings and making hard constructions of their Just endevours and by politique and subtill meanes labour to alinate the hearts of their friends from them and to incline them to give eare to other Counsels laying open their infirmities which they should rather go backward to cover and would if they could possesse the world that there is a sort of men that would settle Religion more purely performe and interpret the Covenant more exactly and doe justice more speedily and more sincearely then this just Authority whom the peoble themselves have chosen nay there are fames abroad that there are catalogues taken of any thing that may possibly bear a bad or sinister construction to be shewed to the people in the day of their extremity if such a day can be procured And for what end all this Why you shall not faile to be told it is for the glory of God the setting up of the Kingdome of Jesus Christ and the everlasting good of the soules of the people and the like but take yee heed how yee heare or give credit to these Syren songs these charmes of Dalilah are but to deprive Sampson of his strength to rob the people of their Power It is a sad proverb but Court Logick hath proved it so frequently true that it may be related without suspition of blasphemy In nomine Domini incipit omne malum When the Divill transformes himselfe into an Angell of light to make his delusion currant he is necessitated to use such language For which cause our blessed Saviour adviseth us to be Wise as Serpents lest wee be beguiled by their subtill glosing dissimulations But as the Apostle saith in another case If an Angell from heaven preach any other doctrine let him be accursed So in this case if any though in the shape of an Angell of light of stength of powers or dominations shall endevour by any meanes whatsoever to divide you from those you have chosen either in affection or assistance you are to hold them for the most accursed Traitors that ever trode upon English ground and to use all lawfull meanes to bring them to condigne punishment being well assured that whatsoever is pretended the intent can be no other then to extirpate for ever the foundation of the freedom and safty of the people which once done a ready way is made for any thing that can make a people wretched and miserable without hope of remedy And therefore be advised in time before you are ingaged too farre and be confident those inconveniences you have fancyed to your selves and wherein you are like enough to be mistaken if they should indeed prove reall ones yet were you better to have patience and by loving discourses and prudent meanes endevour to worke a better information which time may produce as by experience in your selves you cannot but know rather then through impatience and violent importunity to cast your selves upon a remedy that must necessarily be destructive to the whole people of the Land For once suppose or admit that any pretending whatsoever piety or authority may more properly judge of Law or religion so far as concernes the publique or give interpretation of oaths or covenants or treaties or transactions or any thing which is of publick concernment then those whom the people have chosen and farewell common freedome for ever who ever those are you would so prefer as far as in you is in so admitting or supposing you betray the great freedome of the Nation and set Masters over the Parliament then which there can be no greater Treason Be not flattered and deluded out of your Birthright Consider what ever you are you are but apart of the whole people it is impossible that you can give the sense and minde of all the Commons of England Nay if you could it is not lawfull for you to doe it otherwise then by a becomming information and to rest satisfied when you have so done You are not intrusted by the people you are not Chosen to that end But this just Authoritie is a power chosen and intrusted and you are to know that they are absolutely Free to follow the dictat of their owne Understandings and Consciences informed by the word of God by principles of right Reason and all other good meanes as is most probable to conduce to the safetie and weale of the People which they lately and worthily have declared to be the end of the Primitive Institution of all Government Whosoever shall tell you that either themselves or any others will ever doe you more good then those you have chosen make no scruple to owne them for deceivers that Absolon like kisse and wooe you of purpose to enslave you What though some things may not be done so perfectly or so inexcusably as you could wish Consider they are but men subject to the same passions and infirmities as your selves they are not like some ancient Fraudulent great Councels that have maintained the Canons and Decrees thereof to be infallible Nay they are so farre from such delusion that they have many times altered their owne Orders Ordinances and Acts upon further or better information and doe not refuse nor reject Petitions and informations duly offered by any peaceable Persons few or many and as readily follow the advices of others which they approve as their own immediate apprehensions and Councels And as a sure testimony of their faithfulnesse and sinceritie doe but seriously consider how exceedingly God hath blessed them viz. with the affections of the people with power and strength in the field with deliverance from many most desperate Plots and out of many sore and difficult exigents that their enemies have bin as Chaffe before their Armies What force hath bin to mighty or place to strong for their Achievement And now that they have all as it were in their owne command by the same good providēce of God would you now because they cannot please you in every particular except they shall go against their own Consciences gladly see them troden upon and brought under Surely if you would but open your eyes you could not but see that the hand of God is still with them and will not bee shortned Hee hath already brought low the Mighty and reproved vanquished even Kings for their sakes and for theirs whom they represent And doe You now Thinke that Any shall be able to lay their honour in the dust You cannot certainly be many that have been thus blinded or deluded Nor can you possibly long continue in so bad a mind A little consideration must necessarily change your minds and God I trust will prevent you with his converting grace and will not suffer you to be tempted above your power However this is most visible to all considerate men that there are multitudes of honest Religious people that remaine immaculate in their affections to this Honourable Parliament and are truly thankfull for their unwearied labours in recovery of the long lost Liberties of this great Nation and stand firmely resolved to maintaine and defend with their lives and estates their just power and priviledges against all opposition circumvention or delusion whatsoever And those who shall cease to doe this through any conceived cause or provocation they shall esteeme them the most treacherous upon earth and not worthy the name of true English-men or Christians This by generall discourse and observavation is found to be a known truth and therefore it is earnestly hoped the Honourable Parliament will no whit abate of their resolutions to make this Nation absolutely free and happy notwithstanding the manifold new discoveries of strange Apparitions if they but please to consider seriously the true Englishmans temper they will find they have multitudes more with them then against them and that in times to come this shall be an English proverb As certain to perish as those that openly oppose or would secretly undermine a Parliament FINIS