Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A50301
|
The practises of the Earl of Leycester against the minister of Pensherst laid open in a narrarive [sic] sent to his late Highness Oliver Lord Protector August 5. 1658.
|
Maudit, John.
|
1660
(1660)
|
Wing M1330; ESTC R217681
|
10,283
|
49
|
been spoken yea to ruine him for it In Qu. Maries days it was but but 100 l. fine to have spoken worse words then these of the Queen her self And Statute An. primo secundo Mariae c 3. shall 500 l. stand upon Record for the Earl of Leycester for saying He is a cruel man If my Lord of Leycester do not say at length as that Amoniet yet will not the Aduersaries of Reformation say And let this be also laid for a reproach to all their Israel Shall not the Lord visit for these things yea and hath he not already began to visit if we could see his hand for it is not unusual with God for one mans sin to visit with a general Judgement witness the famine in Davids time for Sauls cruelty upon the Gibeonites the overthrow of the state of Israel for Elies son lewdness The Marriners danger of Shipwrack for Jonah his offence The Armies defeat at Ai for Achans theft the famine over all lands for Josephs hard usage the Judgement upon Egypt for Israels cruel bondage surely the Lord hath lookt upon our sufferings also and hath and â—â—â—l with much jealousie reckon for them yet the Lord give us patience for we must not desire the evil day upon our Persecutors the Lord in much mercy wipe off our blood from the Thrones of Justice and give these men repentance that are guilty of it But my gracious Lord I crave humbly leave to set this day before your Highness all that hath past which I am perswaded hath been hid from you how be it the Lord seems not to accept from Princes that excuse for publick miscarriages in the Common-wealth Behold we knew it not Pro. 24.11 12. If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn * Inique oppressos saith Junius unto death and those that are ready to be slain if thou †Ne putes tibi excusationem fore segâ—itiae tuae aut infirmitatis quafi aut nesciveris pessime cum illis agi aut rationem juvandi illos atque liberandi minime tenueris crimen in leges transferendo Nam Deus judex ejusmodi est qui perpendat intima corda optime cognoscat justifime judicaturus sit saâ—â—â— Behold we knew it not doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it and he that keepeth * A male seu periculo quo devenit proximus tuus tu autem ab eâ— liberaris ut oppressis opituleris Sic Estherae 4.13 14. Junius thy soul doth not he know it and shall not he render unto every man according to his works The Lord therefore give me favour in your highnesse's sight in making known to your Highness the distresses of our deeply afflicted hearts for we have confidence in your Highness render compassions and readiness to relieve all Oppressions We were unwilling hitherto though we bore much to create trouble to your Highness about our cause knowing your burthen to be great enough in ordering the publick Affairs of the Nation but now that our Adversary hath acted all this against us upon the publick Theater of the Courts of Justice and that in the Protectors name and nothing seems to content him herein but our ruine having executed this Judgement to the utmost of his power for the destroying of me and my family we dare not hold our peace but commending out cause to the Lord for Counsel are bold to solicit that power God hath put in your Highness hands for our relief trusting that as Mose's ears were open to the daughters of Zelophehad's complaints in their particular case as well as to the publick Affairs yea and made a new Law for them when the common Law could not relieve them So the Lord will also graciously affect your Highness heart with these our sufferings in particular and by his spirit of wisdome direct you to give speedy some check to the Earls great rage and fierce proceedings in a way of Righteousness and equity according to the power God hath intrusted your Highness with Fear not my Lord fear not to own this afflicted cause and search into it and the Lord put his spirit upon your Highness as once he did upon Saul and Moses to relieve your Brethren that suffer affliction in your dayes If your Highness find the sentence righteous punish me double to my offence but if innocency be found in me and conscience convince you that I suffer much wrong relieve me and let not this decree stand in Gods fight upon publick Record much longer Behold O Lord I am brought low but yet not below thy help who art the Almighty whose methode and manner of working is such as not to step in till all creature helps fail and stand as impotent Idols and say as that King of Israel If the Lord do not help how can I help Israels task is increased and their male Children strangled by Pharaohs command before they are brought out of Egypt Jonah cast over board into the merciless waters and buried alive in a more merciless Leviathan before deliverance comes Isaac bound to the wood for a sacrifice before he be released Joseph brought to the prison before his advancement Daniel let down into the Lyons den before his enemies Accusation was frustrated The captive Jews under the Kings royal signet sentenced to be massacred before they become favourites in the Persian Court and the poor men of Jabesh Gilead brought to disgracefull Articles before their insulting enemies was overthrown and put to flight This is Gods usual manner with his people whose faith be puts upon trial to the utmost not to save till none can save And therefore the Lord keep up our faith that it may not fail Here we are if the Lord say he hath no delight in us let him do with us what seemeth him good but if he please to consult his own glory in our deliverance we will say as Mordecai Enlargement and Deliverance shall arise to us though all should forsake us but who knoweth whether my Lord Protector be come to the Kingdom for such a time as this to relieve Christs oppressed ones who otherwise had been every here crushed which is the expectation and prayer of Gods people and in special of Your Highness In all humble Devotion and faithful observance JHON MAUDIT Pensherst July 22 1658. FINIS THese Papers being left at White-Hall August 5. 1658. for the Secrerary to communicate to his Highness at Hampton Court The next morning the Lord contends in a very terrible thunder which lasted about six houres and took off a fair bough from the chief Cedar of our Lebanus And delayes being made from time to time by the secretary the Lord who is jealous for his oppressed people and gives quick returns to prayer pleads again in a very tempestuous wind and shortly thereupon puts a period to the life of the Lord Protector which gave occasion of that great mourning that fell out nigh about the time that this Judgement was given the year before 1657. as appears by the Record of the upper-Bench Court in the suit of the Earl of Leycester Wednesday in 15. days of St. Martin 1657. Unless cause be shewed to the contrary upon Friday next after 15. dayes of St. Martine let Judgement be entred for the Plantiffe upon the motion of Mr. Sergeant Twisden By the Court. Observable also it was in the next Parliament called January 27. 1658. how God testified against Peerage in the hot Contests between the Houses about it and at length changed the whole Government and in the Parliament assembled May 7.1659 the house declared both against a single Person and house of Peers in their first Vote God hath many reasons doubtless of his Actions yet it were good to make this use upon the whole matter that it is the great interest and security of Governours to do Justice and relieve the oppressed and not turn aside the poor in the gate from their right for the Lord will plead their cause and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them Pro. 22.23
THE PRACTISES OF THE EARL of LEYCESTER Against the MINISTER of PENSHERST Laid open in a NARRARIVE Sent to his late Highness OLIVER LORD PROTECTOR August 5. 1658. JUDG 19.30 Consider of it take advice and speak your minds LONDON printed by T. R. for the Author 1660. To his Highness OLIVER LORD PROTECTOR Of the Common-wealth of England Scotland and Ireland c. May it please your Highness YOur Highnes's Declaration for a Thanksgiving upon Wednesday last July 21. hath given me occasion as a providential encouragement of God for this humble address by the inclosed Narrative observing what grief of heart it was to your Highness that the last Parliament was broken up before they could begin to think of a settlement for Religion and the civil Government of this Nation as your Highness intimates in the beginning of this Declaration But I know your Highness hath learn'd of God to look higher then sublunary Instruments in all such Events and that the most high ruleth in the kingdom of men and bindeth up the hearts and counsels of the Nations as at the same session he marvellously bound up your Thames within that the Channel could not run with any freeness My Lord I desire to be still one of those Remembrancers that give the Lord no rest till he hath made his Jerusalem a praise in the earth and to see before I die Gods gracious presence re-establisht in our Sion in the beautie of his holiness and this poor unworthy Common-wealth reformed into a more righteous Government then hitherto we have obtained God hath lately shewed me to my grief much iniquity in the very frame and what God hath shewed me I crave the boldness to give a hint to your Highness of it in this Narrative that you may have the glory beyond many Lawgivers of this Nation Your Predecessors in the Throne to reform the constitutions of the Courts of Justice into a more excellent conformity with the wisedom of Gods Word where they are out of course And what if God hath carried on this afflicted cause now at length before your Highness for this purpose that it might be an inducement to your Highness to seek of God as Moses did in all difficult cases a better way for your people whom I hear in many corners of the land groaning and complaining under their great oppressions through the Corruptions of Law This case between the Earl of Leycester and my self fell out to be concluded but a few weeks before the session of the last Parliament and I feared sadly for your Highness and the whole Nation what would follow thereupon upon it being sometimes the course of God to take advantage against a Nation in bringing a general Judgement upon them for some eminent Act of Cruelty and Injustice committed against one of his little ones The Lord who is afflicted in all our Afflictions give my Lord Protector a compassionate heart to relieve the poor who put their trust in the Lord against the proud and mighty that beast themselves against them To draw up all in short that I may not intrench upon the weighty affaires that are before your Highness you have here my Lord the innocent condemned yea a whole family to be cut off as far as the Law can reach them A most cruel Verdict abhorred by the consciences of your Judges yet unreverst The right of the Gospel Ministry in reproof of sin discountenanced and the Priviledge of the Peers whilest they were laid aside by Parliament unduly allowed against a clear Law against common reason and against all Presidents in Courts of Justice untill this present case Whereupon it followed that the preparations made by your Highness and Parliament before their adjournment in a hopefull way for some settlement in the civil Government were notwithstanding at their next meeting soon unravelled upon the difference of the houses about the very point of Peers and those Gentlemen that had a hand in condemning this cause the one at the Assize the other in the upper bench both by a signal check of providence repulsed in a message to your house of Commons upon this point Oh my Lord whilest the Controversie was managed in private I could shew your Highness how terribly God pleaded with our adversary in private laying it sorely upon himself and his family but since he hath broke out into the publick and managed mischief by a Law Now God hath appeared in publick likewise and yet he knows I grieve to think what an influence it hath had upon your Highnes's Affairs and may yet have if not prevented If therefore the Lord shall shew this afflicted cause to your Highness and all the iniquity that hath moved him to any displeasure thereupon be pleased to answer Gods expectation in some way of speedy redress And let my Lord do for God and his distressed ones as much as King Pyrrhus did for Fabricius the Roman General who while he was ingaged in a War with the Romans his Physician sent to Fabricius telling him that if he pleased he would poyson his Master but Fabricius abhorring such a villany sent Pyrrhus word of it whereupon he apprehended and crucified his gratitude to Fabricius dismissed all the Roman Prisoners without Ransome acknowledging that he could not make sufficient compensation for such a favour My Lord God hath delivered up those into your hands that lately sought your life and hath put into your hands that inimicitious Fort of Flanders that hath so often annoyed this land PLACE = marg Dunkirck and from whence the enemy had prepared now also to annoy you and what more answerable return can your Highness make to your good God that in pity hath saved us then to restore Gods Captives that are laid up even in your chains which is all that is humbly desired at this time by My Lord Your Highness most humble and faithfull servant JOHN MAUDIT Pensherst July 22. 1658. A NARRATIVE OF The Sufferings of the Minister of Pensherst under the Prosecution of the Earl of Leycester May it please your Highness WHatsoever your Highness owne troubles may be in this heavy and burthensome place wherein we cease not to pray for you yet I hope you have a Christian ear and heart open to receive the complaints of Gods poor oppressed people from all places making it your chief work as our Lord the chief Shepherd to mind the poor of the flock above your self to carry the Lambs compassionately in your bosome and diligently drive those that are with young this is indeed a princes trust comfort and security His Comfort as you may see in Job 16.17 25. I was a father to the poor and the cause which I knew not I searched out and I brake the jaws of the wicked and pluckt the spoil out of his teeth Then I said I shall die in my nest and I shall multiplie my dayes as the sand Thus Job once solaced himself with the thoughts of his care and compassions over the