Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	authority_n	king_n	parliament_n	1,836	5	6.6012	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84012	The English banner of truth displayed: or, The state of this present engagement against Scotland. Wherein is soberly discuss'd the lawfulness and necessity of the engagement. The high aggravations of it, as to the Scots. The groundlesness of those of the Presbyteries coniunction with the Scots and malignants, either from religion, their former state-principles, or the demeanour of those those [sic] in authority towards them. Also, a brief series of transactions, whereby it appears that those of the Presbytery have continually endeavoured the disturbing of the peace of the nation, ... and are the ground of this third war now with the Scots and malignants. Together with some occasional assertions; that the laying aside of some members of Parliament, the proceedings against the late King, the changings of the government, is sutable unto the end of all our engagements ... / By a friend to the Commonwealth of England.	Friend to the Commonwealth of England.	1650 (1650)	Wing E3081; Thomason E608_12; ESTC R201940	14,208	16

their account being the sole encouragement of Scots and Malign●n●s The goodness of God having delivered us from these straits and made us instruments to save Scotland themselves and us when we had opportunity and were altring the Constitution of the Nation for the best advantage of Justice and Safety and the King called to account then they rail against the Alteration the Kings Execution and in stead of lying down before the presence of the Lord and blessing his Name for the good he had done in preserving them against their own wills they again encourage the Malignants and Scots vilifie and contemn the Government refuse to own or obey them every Pulpit excommunicating the State out of the Divinity of Truth the R●ght of Authority and the Hearts of the People and have proceeded to assist and joyn with that Nation of Scotland Charles Stuart son to the late King and all the Malignants and Rebels of Ireland who manage the same Cause of the King whom they pray for yet could there not be a Prayer for or Thanksgiving to God be had from them for what he hath wonderfully done by the Army in Ireland but to lay designes for an universal Rising amongst our selves and so upon their own account have laid the foundation of a third war which they call The Cause of the King and the Ki●k the First being God and the King the Second The King and Parliament The first was Bellum Episcopal● and in this the Bishops and the King fell together the second the King fell from and by the Parliament the third Bellum Presbyteriale and in this let them take heed lest the King and the Kirk fall together Thus they prefer their own unrighteous discontents before the Peace of this Nation valuing more the venting of their p●ssi●ns then the Lives Liberties and Territories of England which they had rather and therefore give life unto and assist the Scots and Malignants to the ruine of this Nation then that those whom God hath prospered and put in Authority should govern Little dost thou think ô England Few for●ain Nations are now plotting the ravishing of the wives of thy bosome and to destroy thee utterly and themselves be out of the Chair over mens Consciences and the State though their own blood may prove the second Scene of the Tragedy Before I pass this let me intreat thee O England to consider who hath put thee into Two wars already since thy First was ended and the Malignants and Scots are encouraged to this Third war likely to be more bloody then all that hath yet been through these men and that the blood that shall be shed is from them as the cause upon what grounds thou seest that thou mayst indeed perceive who makes thee miserable the interest of the Priest having all along set fire in this Nation the Bishops were first these follow to whom the Lord give repentance lest they finde it a hard thing to kick against the pricks But now what hath the carriage of the State been towards them Have they not notwithstanding all the●e high provocations contrary to the Law of God and Man Have they not I say permitted them and always will the liberty of their Conference as to Religion though they denied it to us and do still deny it Have they not the propriety of their Est●tes the security of the Laws and all other advantages onely they require them to be true and not consp●e against this Commonwealth which t●ey refuse Have they not been treated with all civilities and commended their way of Worship to the Nation And for all the despe●a●e D●visions in the Nation and three several Wars which have cost much blood and how much more wel now not Hath any man of them suffered the more I fear the State hath to answer for onely when their rage had proceeded so far as to lay the ground of this War and the closing with the Scots and Malignants and would not forbear their rebellious against the State some few of them have been suspended from their P●lp●s that they might be hindred from pouring more oil into the flame of this Nation ●he medling with State-affairs being that for which they are suspended such an implacable spirit having scized upon them that nothing but the ruine of this Power and overthrowing all that God hath done for us will satisfie them and this under the disguse of Religion when as it is their own Lusts that is the rife of these Wars and which will cost dear in the end I do even tremble to think how they will be able to appear before the Lord whose Name they put upon their unrighteous actions comm●t iniqu●ty rail and revile put Nations into blood and yet cry The Temple of the Lord. The righteous God of heaven and earth will one day make the●e things naked before the Sun and bring forth the righteousness of his People By all that hath been said will strongly appear not only this Justice and necessity of this Engagement against Scotland b●t that all those Presbyters that shall Engage against the P●rliament of England have no ground either from Religion their former Stat-Principle or the demeanour of those in Authority towards them to do so but the contrary And from all that hath been said there is g●e●t matter of encour●gement if the Lord so please to every faithful soul to proceed in this cause of God and his people without fearing any d●fficulties and qu●etly to expect his blessing on their endeavors and because ●our enemies may seem many let me reckon up a few which may be as a Mo●ntain full of Chariots of fire for your assistance let your enem●es have all the blood and mischief shedd in the late wars upon their shoulders their cause and gui●t cannot be separated 2. They are joyned to Idolaters and that accursed thing which God hath so much declared ag●inst and which hitherto hath ruin'd all that have joyned to it having snatcht away a King an● Monarchy in his displeasure in a s●gnall manner to which workings of Heaven they dare bid defiance and g●ve the lye to all that hath been said of God concerning it 3. We have given no just occasion to the Scots or P●esbyters but have protected them in the Enjoyment of their Consciences Est●tes and in other advantages so far as the Publique safety would adm●t whom if a Spirit of delusion did not possess they would see how imposs●ble it is that the spiri● of prophaneness should set up the power of godliness the Principles of Tyranny the freedom of the People the Interest of Scotland the English D●m●nion or themselves safe in the hands of such men as will m●ke no diff●rence So was Christ ●e counted a Blasph●me● and upon that crucified 4. That the Interest of J●sus Christ in the Spirit and Power of Religion is on this side and is indeed that which they maligne and therefore brand with the name of Sect●ris●e 5. That the time is now

Apostles that they ever took the Authorities of the world to enforce Religion nor called for fire from Heaven upon such as refused except those to whom Christ said You known not of what Spirit you are nor that they intermeddled in setting Nations on fire if they were not received Luk. 9.54.55 or that mixt themselves in these hum●ne affaires Therefore for the Presbyter in England to Design and Leavy war to plot and conspire to betray and give up their own Nation into the hands of strangers and men of desperate Spirits whose mercies are cruelties and which may end in the des●owring and ra●shment of Matrons and Virgins the ripping up of women with child the dashing of little ones against the Wals the blood and ruine of a Nation their own Nation and all that is dear in it because every thing is not enforced as Doctrine which they lay down because what they propose as the external part of a Kirk is not coercively enjoyned upon all men themselves not being Apostles or able to demonstrate the truth of their assertions from the Scriptures or Apostolical infall●bility hath no ground at all from Christ o● his Apostles but the very contrary is judged by the Scriptures It is evident that such minde their own L●sts and not the Lord Jesus to whom they pretend and therefore when they suffer it will be as evil doers not for the Gospel 2. Then for their State-principle I mean the cause of their first Engagement against the King Was it not because it was contrary to the Law of Nature the safety of the People that one man should be above the Law and dispose of the lives and estates of the Nation as he pleased and when the Parliament desired redress in many grievances to raise Arms against them and tear the very bowels of the Nations and put all upon the hazard rather then to be limited in his unsatiable Will And were not those Gentlemen some of the first the most zealous in Parliament Pulpits and Armies against him and his party and rejoyced that they had a life or estate to lose or engage against him Or could any thing be imagined to express their detestation of him and his party more then came from their Pulpits P●ns and Swords or are any to this day so severe against his party in Sequestrations c. And is not the Cause still the same the same cruel bloody tyrannical principles and parties to be opposed whom if God should permit to have the day would execute such horrid villanies murthers massacres that the Sun never saw and would not rest whilst the face of honesty were remaining in the Nation or indeed this any longer a People Are they converted nay are they not rather heightned in all malicious bloodiness imaginable and will let these men taste of the Cup as deep as others and herein be more miserable to see their friends destroyed before them Why then or upon what ground do the Presbyters after that God hath delivered that King and his party into our hands a first a second a third time in England Scotland and Ireland hath brandished his sword and given it a charge against them to their overthrow and made th●m the destruction of those that joyned to them as well as witnessed from heaven against them in the most signal manner that ever was in the world Why then do they now strike in with that Interest and joyn with those and forraign people to put their Country their Religion their Wives and Children their Lives and Liberties and all that is dear in the world after all our preservations into utter destructions Oh consider this and lay it to heart lest you become ●uilty of the blood of your friends your selves and that which hath been committed by this party lest you fall with transgressors and God tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver you Hath any thing been done that is not according to our first Principle and that unavoidable Necessity enforced us Could it be safe after all to leave such a dangerous President on Record as a King unpunished that had endeavoured to bring his Will thorow the Blood of a Nation and the Liberties thereof and had appealed to God to determine the Quarrel by the sword Or were it just to do so to destroy the Servant and excuse the Master that gave the ●mmand and to leave the honest party unsecured after all their sufferings Did not you fight against him in the Feild and was not this as much as cutting off his head at White-Hall onely you mist your Execution but that tooke And when some of us being unsatisfied whether we should kill the King if we met him in a Charge and went to many of you to be resolved Viz. Mr. Calamy Mr Case Mr. Love Mr. Ash c. did not you tell us that we might lawfully kill him How comes now your Judgment to be altered Can the power of Godlinesse be safe amongst these men Can you love their company and joyn with their actions If you say 't was but a party of men did this and that it was not according to the Covenant Did not those that you looke upon betray their trusts and fall into compliance with him contrary to their duty and to the hazard of the Nation Must all be lost because some are unfaithfull And should not they doe justice whose hearts God hath kept upright and called to performe it because others neglected it and would not doe it Was there not a necessity in these things And for the Covenant were you to protect him otherwise then it consists with Religion and the safety of the People Was it not according to Religion that he that sheddeth mans bloud by man should his bloud be shed And could his comming in with a Negative voice and his opportunities thereby to obtaine in a short time all his ends be safe for the Liberties of the People especially there being no conviction upon him or any remorse for his former Actions And was it not a part of the Covenant to bring Delinquents to punishment Was not he one the Chiefe the Principall Or are Covenants of that nature any otherwise then Externall serving onely whilst the end viz. the safety and good of the People is cleare and perspicuous are they any longer binding then the Equitie of them remanies and the Powers that made them so understand it Besides are Constitutions to be perpetuall Hath not and doth not God make many changes in the world and as the good of the people is more brought to light should not Constitutions beare that in their foreheads The safety of the People ought to forme Constitutions and not old Constitutions to determine the safety of the people nor ought every defect to cause an alteration but where necessity enforceth especially where the former proves destructive are not the Laws changed upon this account To what end serves all the discoveries of good in the world if

Governments should not be thereunto conformable And to this end the Providence of God hath and doth worke up the policy of Nations according to their opportunities to form their constitutions Truely if things be sifted to the bottom i● will appear that if the Government had been charged the late King execu●ed by you or those hands you like it had been the good and in that the justice of it determined but because it is by others hands you having layd your selves aside in being unfaithfull to your Principles and sacrifising to the Gods that afflicted you and now you will trie whether you can undo his worke againe and give the lye to his Appearances though in it you hazard your bodies and soules and the being of England I beseech you sadly to consider this and give Glory to the Lord of Hosts before he cause your feet to stumble farther and fall in the darke Mountaines These things have no ground from you former principle 3. As to the Deportment of this State towards them let it be considered what their Provocations have been and what they have received in recompence and then it will be evident that they have Ground to fight for the Common-wealth and not against it Before I proceed to that I shall onely premise their Maxime which is true both in Religion and Reason That the miscariages of persons should never cause a man to throw away the Principles of Equitie What though these men have had discouragements and many now in Authority abounding with Infirmities Shall we therefore turne into a contrary Cause and thereby disturbe and betray the Peace of our Countrey For the provocations given to the Rulers of this Nation let it be considered Were they not the first beginners of Schism and Division amongst the Parliaments friends Did not they as soone as God smiled a little on our proceedings whilst with one heart and hand we were pursuing a Common Enemy begin a separation with their Presbytery which being as a bone cast amongst us they denied any other Religion that was not of that fashion Did they not take off severall deserving Officers and Souldiers from their Union with their faithfull Brethren to be in opposition to them whereby those who were little enough to looke the Enemy in the face looked upon one another as Enemies Did they not Importune the Parliament even with breaches of their Priviledges to make Shibboleths to turne out of the Armyes and places of trust those that could not subscribe to the Jure Divino of Presbytery though they never yet did nor ever will from Scripture be able to manifest it And though the persons that scrupled it might upon as good nay on firmer grounds have moved for another f●●me having more of Scripture and as much faithfullnesse Gallantrie and sufferings for the Parliament to commend them as the other if not more their silence being because they thought it and doe still esteeme it Antichristian to enforce people to that worship of God which they doe not understand the Lawes of Christ being like his Kingdome not Carnall but Spirituall How many an opportunity had the Enemy by this How much bloud was lest till the Providence of God brought forth another Army of those men whom they had layd aside and provided Engins to destroy their Consciences or their persons When necessity brought them into the field what endeavours what lorging● were there to destroy them though the neck of England lay upon their proceedings It would be endlesse to reckon up all things With what outstretched neckes they gaped for their rout at Nasby and when the Lord marveilously turn'd it into a day of Victory which England will have cause alwaies to remember with thankfullness to God how sad were their hearts and at all the other unparallel'd mercies with which God had blessed them The like of Marston-Moor insomuch that some of them judg'd it Judgements rather then mercies When through that Army the Enemy was subdued and Ireland stood in need of relief what endeavours were there to break this Army in peices to bring up the Scots to this end to put in a new General c. When none of chese things would put us together by the eares then upon a designe pretended for Ireland but intending another end they endeavour the breaking it in peices and to bring the pretended forces for Ireland to ballance the Army when part of the Army would have gone if led by by their owne Officers that was refused being thought no less than damnation and so p●est by the Presbytery to send such thither Mr. Nich●●● acknowledg me●t at Kingston Then they endeavour to disb●nd them noting them Traytors upon the report of a Pe ition intended from the Army to them though they had not seen the Petition or l●e●rd any deposition on for what was suggested and this as a gratuity for rede●ming them from their enemies When none of those would effect their end nor put us into blood then so tender were they of this poor Lands sufferings and blood and of Ireland they des●gre another war and to that end got a rude multitude some of the Ra●●●es c●●pping them on the b●ok who with an unparallel'd impudence put Force on the House Note the first Force was ●y themselvs necessitated the Speaker and other faithful per on to flee to the Army the rest to revoke former Orders and to ord●●n another Army General Officers raising of London g●●isoning it against the Army and designed other parts also and the Scots marching to our borders which was the first war by them raised When God was pleased to blast this also that much blood was not shed no thanks to them then they must designe a compliance with the late King and the Scots must be sent for their preparations not voted against private Agreements must pass between the King and them to accom●l●sh this the Militia must lie unsetled the N●vie must be broken which great loss is not yet recovered a Personal Treaty must be driven on with fu●● though no men more against it formerly then them and the rising of the people made a pretence thereunto when it 's known who stirred up the people to force a Treaty although Treaties were known to be designes for mischief and the very treating with him put an acknowledgement of guilt upon themselves Then the Scots came in with a great Army Insurrections were everywhere to the great hozard of England five thousand of which under the Earl of Holland being followed with five hundred of ours and news thereof brought into the Assembly Oh said a R●bby M. Hodges but there is five thousand with my Lord to engage them and the best of their actions were then to look on whilst we were eng●ging in blood be ng those 〈◊〉 of whose hand the King took the Nav●e Duke Hamilton t●e Scots Army and the Insurrections the Militia of the Country and so they helpt on a second war upon