Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	court_n	justice_n	law_n	3,065	5	4.7299	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96961	The wounds of an enemie in the house of a friend. Being a relation of the hard measure sustained by Miles Halhead, and Thomas Salthouse, for the testimony of Jesus: particularly in a long, and sore, and close imprisonment, first at Plymouth, and then at Exeter in the county of Devon, though they have neither offended the law of God, or of the nation. Published for the clearing of their innocency from the cloud of transgression, of which they are supposed highly guilty, and by reason of their silent abiding such sharp, and long, and cruell sufferings.	Halhead, Miles, 1613 or 14-1689 or 90.; Salthouse, Thomas, 1630-1691.	1656 (1656)	Wing W3665; Thomason E870_7; ESTC R2977	52,373	80

and others detained in their Inns as they have lodged there passing into the country and searched and their papers taken from them though onely of private concernment and when any friends have obtained liberty to see them the Souldiers stand by to hear what they say And lately seized them on all the papers of those two Prisoners and took them away And to this day are they continued Prisoners and the Guard of Souldiers upon them who Imprison friends as aforesaid according to their pleasure though divers of them confesse that what they doe is against their conscience and that they know no law for what they doe and that it is contrary to the liberty they have fought for but they must obey the orders of their superiour Officers or they shall be turned out of their places and livelyhood and even when those cruelties have been exercised upon them the Cavaliers in the same Prison in custody upon the late Insurrections have had no Guard upon them nor their friends hindered from visiting them and bringing them necessaries and out of the Prison have they leave to walk to friends houses without any one to attend them onely those two innocent servants of the Lord who have been constant faithfull friends to the Common wealth are thus guarded kept close Prisoners and dealt withall as is aforesaid beyond the example of the highest offenders whether of Thieves Robbers or Murderers in that County of which particulars could be instanced were it not too large for this short Relation Nor during the time of their long Imprisonment to wit for near seven Months under this close restraint and above seven weeks before at Plymouth and the Castle of Exon have their persecutors administred unto them or caused any to take care that they had those accomodations that were necessary for men but as if nothing else were intended but the starving of them and causing them to wear and wast and to dye in a miserable languishment far from friends and reliefe in the heat of summer and sharp cold of winter such hath been the cruell dealing with them as hath been rehearsed without naturall affection or common humanity and contrary to all Law and justice and liberty and the righteous ends for which the late blood hath been shed and the many and solemn Ingagements made before and to God and this Nation And had not some broke through their violence and other difficulties and resolvedly watched all opportunities to relieve them nothing had been expected as to men but that they had long since perished with famine and necessity If a man hath broken the Law it is something to him that the Law is to be known and the punishment that it inflicteth for the breach thereof by which he understanding the extent of the Law and having satisfied what it requires may come to the end of his trouble Or if a man suffer being innocent upon a pretence of a Law which he hath not offended it is something to know what that Law is and what it requires of those who offend it But neither to have offended the Law of God or the Nation but to have both broken on him even by those who are in Commission as Ministers of the Law for the protecting of the innocent and punishing of the guilty who thereby become themselves transgressours of the law and lyable to the penalties thereof and yet neverthelesse being innocent to be by such punished as guilty beyond the direction of any law and contrary thereunto in long and cruell Imprisonments and when brought before the Bench to be denyed hearing and tryall according to law and yet judgement to be given wherein are exactions of such fines of other performances for such causes expressed as are utterly untrue and the Imprisonment to continue till there be a satisfying thereof and such an Imprisonment as from it Appeals cannot be had to the Higher Courts for Justice as House of Correction are which are no Prisons in law and therefore without the Cognizance of the Judges in the Circuits or the Vpper Bench by Habeas Corpus and which to satisfie a man cannot without an acknowledgement of guilt and giving away the righteousness of his cause which is to be prized above all things will be accounted very hard and grievous even by every man who seriously makes it his own condition as indeed it is every mans for what is done to the injury of one mans liberty is done unto all But to have hereunto added guards of Souldiers who have fought for liberty with whom and in the same cause of liberty and justice a man hath ingaged his life and what is dear to him in the time of peace after that cause hath prevailed by such as have drawn the sword and been in command against it and by Souldiers who formerly were the reliefe of the oppressed to be oppressed and kept close Prisoners from friends and accomodations contrary to the Law for in no case whatsoever doth it require a close Imprisonment but provides against it in a strange place some hundreds of miles from his outward being for many Months together in heat and cold of which he can understand no end as he can know no reason for their so doing and during all this time having not so much as an accuser brought to his face nor he heard in his own defence against the manifold false accusations and shiftings from one lye to another as the pretence of his sufferings and such friends as come to visit him whether from far or near at hand citizen or stranger violently to be intreated and detained in Prison yea for but looking in at a hole where he lyes and if any obtain leave to see him not to be permitted to speak with him without a Souldier by to hear what is said and to have his Friends searched and his and their Papers and Letters of private concernment only taken away as if there were some dangerous treason by him designing though he stands onely a Prisoner of innocency and never had any such thing layed to his charge when as at the same time and at the same Prison those in custody who have been Cavaliers and clapt up as having had to doe in the generall Insurrection have had no Guard upon them but liberty of Friends and accomodations and of going forth to their Friends houses without so much as a Keeper and during this long and close Imprisonment to have none appointed by those who cause him so to be kept to take care of him and to administer the reliefe that is fitting to a man nor to have any reliefe to be administred to him by such or in such a way would be esteemed highly oppressive and unsupportable even by the chiefest of their Persecutors were it or did he make it his own condition and the soule of every English man would it greatly afflict who retaines the sence of another mans condition as of his own and is not blinded with prejudice

as they pleased they asked them whether they would be Judges in their own case when as they desired no such thing but to be tryed by them who were in Authority and turned them aside for a thing of naught and called to the Jaylor to take them away which command of theirs was presently executed And here let all that are sober and who calmnly weigh things in the balance of equity judge whether innocent men in a case of this nature wherein without a cause and contrary to the Law of the Land they were Imprisoned and so hardly dealt withall and wickedly Indicted and stood before enemies having largely experienced that neither Law nor justice had took place in their behalfe but oppression and cruelty as hath been mentioned should for their parts being demanded by whom they would be tryed make in reason equity and justice any other answer then by those whom the Lord God of power hath set in Authority to judge righteously between man and man and to put a difference between the precious and the vile and to set the oppressed free from whom they expected equity and justice or to put themselves on any other issues without being guilty of a manifest wilfull throwing away of their innocency and of a continuation of sufferings by their own consent If those in Authority will have a tryall by other manner of men that they cannot help and of their sufferings that might follow thereupon they are not accessary nor will it by such men be judged a contempt of Authority in that they submit to a tryall A man will in reason chuse to have right taken away from him by force rather then to put himselfe upon an issue from which he can expect no other and so as it were by his own consent to give it away And to that of God in the consciences of those then present and of all others who seriously observe with what rage and malice these innocent people are prosecuted and how contrary to Law and justice proceedings are every where had against them as if they were fit onely to be destroyed yea even to that of God in the consciences of their enemies themselves doe I appeal whether righteous judgement can be by them expected from those whom the Lord God of power hath not set in Authority to judge righteously between man and man and to put a difference between the precious and the vile in things relating to the kingdome of Jesus Christ which can onely be seen and judged in his light to whom all judgement is given both in Heaven and in Earth And the children of light can give consent to no other judgement and tryall nor from any other can they expect right and judgement but where that is But to put this matter out of doubt and to manifest how instead of seeking judgement and relieving the oppressed which the Lord requires who is a God of judgement the needy are turned aside from judgement and the righteousnesse of the righteous taken from him Those who understand the Law know that as to all Indictments of trespasse of which nature this is pretended to be of misdemeanor and breach of the peace to answer not guilty or to put in a Traverse is a sufficient legall plea and the Clerk of the peace is to record it and joyne issue and is punishable if he doth it not and that onely in cases of life the Law or custome of England requires the person Indicted to joyne this issue of saying by the country when after he hath pleaded not guilty it is demanded of him by whom he will be tryed And here all People may take notice what measure of injustice these innocent Servants of the Lord receive who are sent to Prison instead of being heard in their just defence and their accusers brought forth when after they had legally pleaded these things were by them lawfully demanded and how contrary to Law and justice and to the libertyes of Englishmen lately vindicated with so much blood is this proceeding how plainly doth it speak as if no other thing were intended in bringing them to the Bar then to asperse and destroy their innocency as their libertyes had been before injured by above seven weeks Imprisonment and by arraigning them as abominable offenders in the face of the country to endeavour to render them odious to the people who had heard so much of their oppressions and thereby amongst them to seek to beget a beliefe that their sufferings were just from which least they should clear themselves and in so doing their long sufferings come to an end which to lengthen and make grievous to the purpose resolutions were had to Prison they are sent and the benefit of the Law denyed them in a tryall What greater injustice can there be then this and oppression what higher violation of Law and liberty of these things the Roman heathen were not guilty and to be so dealt withall the worst of their adversaryes would cry out against were it his own case as justly he might Yet this is the measure which the witnesses of the great and living God receive from this adulterous generation and who is there that regardeth or layeth it to heart though it is every mans concernment and may become the condition of others how soon they know not To close this particular let the wise in heart judge whether amongst those a man is found whom the Lord God of power hath set in Authority to judg righteously between man man to put a difference between the precious and the vile who thus turne aside the needy from judgement and take the righteousnesse of the righteous from him And whether they had not cause to say being asked by whom they would be tryed that they desired to be tryed by such whom the Lord God in power had set in Authority to judge righteously as aforesaid About the space of an houre after they were called in again Court It is thought fit that you take the Oath of Abjuration because of your contempt of Authority which accordingly was to them tendred and a Bible holden to them that they might swear Answer In the presence of the eternall God and before all this people we doe deny with as much detestation as any of you doth the Pope and his Supremacy and the Purgatory and all therein mentioned and declare freely against it and we doe not deny to swear because of any guilt that is upon us but in obedience to the command of Christ who saith Swear not at all and we will not come under the condemnation of an Oath for the liberty of the outward man after which they were returned to Prison The Mayor of Plymouth when he first apprehended them tendred them this Oath which when they had refused and given the reasons of their so doing he sent them back to Prison and afterwards signifying that as the cause of their detainment to a friend they sent him in writing more fully their answer

hell the pit is made into which to cast and destroy the innocent the workers of iniquity make insurrections they whet their tongue like a sword they bend their bowes and make their Arrowes keene and ready on string and shoot at the perfect at the upright and fear not there are who incourage themselves in an evill matter that commune of laying snares privily that lye in waite in the lurking places of the Villages in the secret places as he that setteth snares to murther the innocent that set a trap that catch men as a cage is full of birds so are their houses full of deceit therefore are they become great and wax in rich they are waxen fat and shine yea the deeds of the wicked are over passed The rod hath blossomed pride hath budded violence is risen up into a rod of wickednesse Sion is built up with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity the stranger is vexed and oppressed which the Lord hath commanded shall not be but be beloved as a mans selfe for the Lord loveth the stranger and turned aside from his right and dealt wrongfully withall his Judgement is perverted and upon him is violence and cruelty exercised The people of the Lord are sould for nought and there are none that inquire after their blood they are eaten up as one would eate breath they whom the Lord hath smitten are persecuted the spoyled is not delivered out of the hand of the Oppressour the Lord is not feared this people are broken in pieces and his heritage afflicted yet they that doe these things say in their hearts the Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it God hath for gotten he hideth his face he will never see it God is contemned they say he will not require it yea every one in the darke in the chambers of his Imagery saith the Lord seeth us not the Lord hath forsaken the earth how doth God know is there knowledge in the most High Thou hast seen it O Lord for thou beholdest mischiefe and spight to requite it with thy own hand the poor committeth himselfe unto thee thou art the helper of the fatherlesse Vnderstand ye bruitish among the people And ye fools when will ye be wise He that planteth the eare shall not he hear he that formed the eye shall he not see he that chastiseth the heathen shall not he correct he that teacheth man knowledge shall not he know Surely the Lord seeth it and it displeaseth him that there is no Judgement and he sees that there is no man and wonders that there is no Intercessor therefore his arme is bringing salvation unto him and his righteousnesse it sustaineth him for he is putting on righteousnesse as a breast plate and a helmet of salvation upon his head and he is putting on the garment of vengeance for a cloathing and is clading with zeal as with a cloak he will awake as one out of sleep and go forth as a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine he will stir up jealousie like a man of war he will cry yea roare he shall prevaile against his enemies he hath a long time holden his peace and he hath been still and refrained himselfe he will cry like a travelling woman he will devoure and destroy all at once he he will make wast mountains and hills and dry up all their herbs he will make the rivers Islands and he will dry up the pools and according to their deeds accordingly will he repay fury to his adversaries recompence to his enemies For these things shall I not visite saith the Lord shall not my soule be avenged on such a generation as this Shall not God avenge the sufferings the blood of his Elect who cry Night and Day unto him how long O Lord holy and true dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the Earth Though he bear long with them I tell you he will avenge them speedily And hath he said it and shall he not doe it hath he spoken it and shall it not come to passe he hath avenged their blood from the dayes of righteous Abel to the Times of this generation and shall he not avenge it on this generation hath this generation witnessed this word of the Lord to be true above many generations before whose Eyes and by whose hands the righteous God hath executed his dreadfull Judgements on the Enemies of his Elect and shall this Generation who have exceeded what hath been done by their Fathers go unpunished Hath he despised the Image of the King and Princes and Nobles and the great ones and many of the people of these Nations and their pomp and glory and powred forth their blood as water on the Earth and made them a fearfull desolation in the cause of his people and of Justice and Equity and shall those whom he hath made the rod of his Anger and the staffe of his Indignation upon these doing the same things for which he judged and cast them out escape Hath all this blood been shed that unrighteousnesse may reigne and oppresssion hath not God spared the glory and beauty and excellency of these Nations and the goodlinesse of them but in the Iniquities that they have committed and in the sins wherewithall they have sinned hath cut them off and made them the dreadfull examples of his vengeance to make way for others to rise up and to commit greater abominations Was persecution of tender consciences unjust in the Bishops and is it righteous now in them who suffered by the Bishops for the tendernesse of their consciences and shed so much blood for a secure provision therein and put it to this Issue by the sword either they and theirs not to be or not to be without it to outstrip the Bishops yea the latter Ages in a cruell and barbarous persecution of their Brethren because of the tenderness of their consciences Was the Infringement of Liberty the endeavouring to subvert the fundamentall Lawes of the Nation and the violation of right unrighteous in the King and Strafford and Canterbury and that generation and Judged Tyrannicall and Trayterous and Justice executed upon them for so doing and the Kings Family rooted up and thousands of Families destroyed and the three Nations made fields of blood and hazarded in many years fierce and cruell Wars to bring it to passe and is it just now in inferiour Ministers who are in Commission and sworn to execute the Law to preserve liberty and to defend right as saith also the Instrument of Government to exceed them all in the violation of Law and the destruction of right and liberty as if so be the Cause and the Justice of the Wars were to destroy one Generation for another to exercise the same and far greater violences and oppressions upon those who were instrumentall in the destruction of the other when lost their liberties or by what Law Contract or Conquest have they lost them in suffering

their carriage here was not becoming men much lesse Christians and besides their contempt of Authority and all the while they were in Prison they never sought God by prayer at any time nor desired a blessing on any Creature they received or gave thanks for them and these very men were about two months past taken up by Collonel Coppleston High Sheriff of our County and after 14 dayes restraint were sent away by him for Taunton from Tithing to Tithing as by their own Examination and they shew no occasion they have to come to these parts They are by profession Quakers but Husbandmen by their calling one of them is a Lancashire man the other of Westmorland and they left their Families Relations and Callings about three Months since as they say and doe net work nor employ themselves in their Callings to procure themselves a livelihood but wander up and down in all parts to vent their wicked Opinions discover their irregular practises in the breach of Peace disturbance of good People Indeed Sir they hold many sad Opinions destructive to the true Religion and Power of godlinesse I have hereby according to my Duty given your Honour an account of what passed here in reference to these men I could say much more in reference to their Examination and discourse with them but I fear I have already trespassed upon your Honours patience in the perusal of these lines and humbly desiring your excuse for giving you this trouble and doe most thankefully acknowledge your Honours continued favours to this place and for which we stand very much obliged desiring your Honour still te retain such an Opinion of us as those that desire to doe nothing unbecoming Christians and persons that desire the welfare and peace of this Common-wealth and Government and shall ever labour to appear Your Honours very humble Servant JOHN PAGE Mayor for my Self and Brethren THis is the second time this Mayor hath affirmed this abominable lye under his Hand and Seal notwithstanding that two sufficient men of the Town of Plymouth had entred into a Recognizance before him for their Appearance which the next morning he denyed to give under his hand as he had promised and voided the Recognizance the Town Clerk saying it would not stand in Law and sent them to Prison And here as he twice chargeth them for refusing to doe that which they had done before him and which he had refused to deliver them under his hand according to his promise and made voyd as the cause of their imprisonment so he committed them to Prison for refusing to doe that which the Town Clerk said would not stand in Law and so according to what he affirmed was contrary thereunto Canst thou who doest such things as these blush Is it not hereby apparent that cause is sought for and made where there is none to destroy the innocent What the measure wants of filling with false Accusations that the Indictments meaning and this Mayors conceiving shall make up to cause the righteous to suffer Where is that late Proclamation intituled against Quakers There is one against disturbing of Christians in their peaceable Assemblies and there is the 37 Article of the Government which saith That all that professe faith in God by Jesus Christ shall not be restrained from but be protected in the profession of the faith and exercise of their Religion c. Both which thou hast broken in sending thy Officers and taking them from their peaceable meetings of Christians waiting on the Lord by thy Warrants The Law forbids the reproaching of any and all evill speaking as evill doing yet this Mayor who calls himself a Minister of the Law reproacheth the Servants of the most high God who fear before his presence and tremble at his word as the holy men of God have done from the beginning on Record in the Scriptures with the name of Quakers and intitles the Generation of those who seek the face of the Lord with the name of Quakers which he so reproacheth by profession What difference is there between a calling and profession Is coming to Plymouth in obedience to the movings of the Lord to visite friends and to speak to them the words of eternall life to Preach the everlasting Gospel and to exhort them to love and good works according to the Scriptures of truth no occasion shewed they not this as the occasion of their coming thither and is it not a lawfull one And have they not there many seals of their Ministry who by it are turned from darknesse to light and from the Kingdome of Satan unto God How can they employ themselves in their callings of husbandry when kept in Prison how can they return to their Families Relations and Callings when thus detained as they were at first hindred in their Journey on their lawfull occasions and are still by Thee Doest thou complain of them for not doing that which by imprisoning of them thou hast made impossible Did they want a livelihood before they were laid hands on or do they now though it 's neer nine months since the time of their commitment by thee Did they ask any thing of thee or of any one else wast thou or Plymouth burdened or made chargeable by or had not the Town the advantage of their expence for themselves and Horses and the friend that was with them how knowest Thou that they want a livelihood or hast Thou or thy Generation administred to them or to their Families and Relations during near nine months of restraint and six of them in a close imprisonment without a cause in a strange place 200 miles from their outward Habitations whereby they are kept from imploying themselves to procure a livelihood for themselves Families and Relations Is riding the strait Road from Bristoll to Plymouth lying at the best Inns and paying for what they have for themselves and Horses a wandring Thinkest thou what the Law calls wandring is not known and how much thou hast broken the Law upon them and what penalties thou art under for so doing and art thou sure thou shalt never be called to an account deceive not thy self May not a man travell where he will in times of peace paying for what he hath and behaving himself peaceable what if they had come onely to see the Town of Plymouth Make it thy own case wouldst thou not judge it hard measure for them to doe to thee as thou hast done to them Art thou not ashamed of lying to say they wandred in all parts when they travelled the direct Road Or callest thou the going about to Preach the Gospel a wandring Did not the Apostles and holy men of God doe so and yet were they not as hardly thought of and reviled by those of thy Generation then as these are now by thee and those of the same Generation and as wickedly persecuted by reason of whose cruelty they wandred in Desert in Mountaines in Dens and Caves of the earth