Selected quad for the lemma: friend_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
friend_n	army_n	enemy_n	great_a	1,068	5	2.8750	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A83990	Englands remedy of a deadly malady: the vvise-womans saving the city Abel, by delivering the head of Sheba, who was a traitor to the common-wealth of Israel. Which serveth as a pattern, whereby the City of London may be saved, by the wise endeavours of the citizens thereof, like this wise-womans, (which are upon divine record both for our learning and imitation) even by delivering up to law & justice, the traitors to the common-wealth of England. ...		1647 (1647)	Wing E3028; Thomason E397_20; ESTC R201676	19,353	23

the City Abell ought first to offer peace to that City as is formerly observed of that Joab and his souldiers ought to have asked of the City Abell whether or no they would deliver Sheba and to have offered them peace upon deliverie of him and not to have broken down the wall without any such question or condition contrary to the Law of God common sense and custome which may be drawne from these words of her speech and so have they continued or that they should aske concerning the person Abel calling to mind his innocent blood alluding to the people in the City who had not procured such an assault by any misdemeanour proceeding from themselves either of which senses or interpretations may be pertinent enough to the scope of what she intended in her dispute or speech to Ioab And the reason why Ioab was so easily pacified from all his fury and getting justice onely against one Traytor though there were a number of others in the City he himselfe declareth in the Historie that the intent of his coming was to have justice onely against one man and the cause was formerly shewed even that he was the ring-leader to all the rest in rebellion according to the old true proverb which a Member of the Parliament for once repeating in the House where oftentimes truth hath no place nor admittance pereat unus potius quàm unitas it is better that one or a few perish then a multitude Corporation City or Nation was commanded to the barre and committed to prison where he continued for a whole yeare at least Now all that is to be inferred from what is here spoken doth briefly tend to this effect there are many opinions concerning the intentions of our renowned Army especially for their advancing to this City Why what 's the matter Doth it not consist of very rationall men And doe not you think but they have many strong reasons and both weighty and urgent causes for what they doe We not only know by report but feel by experience that there is not only one Sheba among us but too many ring-leaders of rebellion incendiaries of sedition and raisers of anew warre which the Army doe demand and persue that they may be delivered up to the law and tryed according to justice which is the first and most speciall and effectuall meanes to recover both our Lawes peace and liberties out of which all the free-born people of England are like to bee stript naked and so are in a most dangerous capacitie of slaverie and miserie And if there be such treacherous enemies to the Common-wealth and betrayers of there trust concerning the recoverie and defence of our Lawes and liberties detained sheltered and maintained in and about the Citie of London as that Rebell Sheba was in the Citie Abell is there so much as my shew or colour of reason to the contrary but that the whole people of the land as one man if it were possible should seek all lawfull and timely redresse for justice as in the case of the ten Tribes against that of Benjamin before cited and of Achan Iesabel and many others Therefore whosoever or how many soever shall oppose them in so lawfull and needfull apursuit will manifest themselves to be as great Traytors and enemies to the Commons of England as the other who are thus impeached yea and if it were in the way of revenge failing of ordinary justice as this act of Joabs pursuing Sheba may seem to be it is neither cruelty nor war but rather a seeking of justice and consequently of peace in so following after it One thing is to be feared and another to be wished the first is that the Citizens are not so diligent to treat with the Parliament for doing of justice as they are with the Army for yeelding to peace without justice for this woman was as carefull to deale with the Citizens as she was with Joab so soon as she knew his mind And the next is that neither Parliament not City permit their Clergie any more to preach war in the City and peace in the Army nor that such Incendiaries nor deceivers as those Priests and their followers be suffered any more to intice and poyson yea and undermine the weaker sort of the Army but be quite returned As this wise woman undertaketh begineth procedeth and prospereth in this great businesse as appeareth by Ioab and the Citizens both hearing and following her councells because they all attend to justice so by that most powerfull effectuall and commendable meanes which she useth it pleaseth God so to order the businesse that thereby justice is duly and speedily executed and so all is made quiet even as when Ionah was cast into the sea the powerfull raging thereof was changed into a great calme But in regard the matter is historicall and needeth litle illustration or scarce any application it being so suitable to our present condition therefore I will adde a simile for conclusion this whole Kingdome at the begining of this Parliament may be parallelled with Gedions Army of two and thirty thousand when he went to battel against the Midianites not in regard of our greater quantity or number but rather of our quality and nature this Nation being a mixed people like Gideons Army of good and bad souldiers able and unable whereof the greatest part were the open enemies of our peace and so verie unfit to fight for our lives Lawes or Liberties at least whilest they were under that banner But those two and thirty thousand being fined and a party singled out from amongst them extending to ten thousand which were not altogether so timorous and therefore somewhat more likely to carry on the worke in the day of battell this party is like our mixed Parliamentary multitude being chosen by all sorts or rather several dispositions of people as appeareth by the fruit and effect proceeding from the cause and as every living creature doth naturally produce and bring forth others both of the same kind and similitude And these ten thousand of Gideons Army who were thus fined being still unfit for the intended businesse notwithstanding therefore they were refined to three hundred which may be accounted those military members of valourous and victorious Souldiers of our Army by whom as the Lord hath done great works to his endlesse praise so our hope is that the same God will do yet greater works against both our open and secret enemies yea and pretended friends to his owne glorie and all our comforts who trust in him either by them or others We blesse his divine Majestie that like this wise woman he hath made this City so wise as to send forth some of their Aldermen and other ancients to parle with that renowned Army concerning the present expedition of whose wisdome and fidelity both to the City Parliament and Common-wealth as they have had already very sufficient so shall they have no doubt abundant satisfaction yea and will we hope crown

the same with such happy and gratious effects to the joy of all faithfull and true-hearted English both of this age and all succeeding ages as never King nor Parliament together nor apart did the like since England was first a plantation before it began to be a Nation AMEN The Maladie consisting in the Parliaments injustice of all sorts selfe-interestes and grinding the faces of the poore such as their illegall sentences unjust imprisonments burning by the common-hangman the just Petitions of all the Commons Liberties c. MAy not England now say behold and see all ye that passe by is there any sorrow like unto my sorrow Is not this our our fruitfull land like to become a barren wildernesse even for the wickednesse of the Inhabitants Is not this fearfull judgment of new wars justly deserved both for the crying sins and great abominations which so powerfully raign 〈◊〉 all estates even from the highest to the lowest And that not alwaies nor altogether by meanes of professed enemies but rather as often and sometimes much more of pretended friends yea even of a strong party in our own houshold of Commons for that House being as it were the salt to season all the unsavoury practices and proceedings of others by their assembling for that businesse in the behalf of all the Commons of England if they themselves should lose the savour wherewith shall they bee salted Will they in such a case be good for any thing but to be cast out is corrupt and rotten Members What people or Nation did ever more freely not only adventure but even sacrifice their lives blood livelihoods and estates in the defence and for the maintenance both of the Parliaments owne lives Priviledges and estates even when they had neither Army nor Guard so long as they seemed to stand for our Lives Lawes and Liberties which they have so often promised protested declared vowed and sworne to recover and defend and we so long expected yea and have so much deserved as well by the right of purchase as of birth and native inheritance Long have we and our Predecessors sighed and groaned under the heavy burdens of former oppressions by meanes of cruell task-masters even for a Parliament of six months never so much as dreaming of seven years and that to have had our just Petitions granted and our unjust grievances redressed all wicked Lawes abolished and good Lawes established wee looked for comfort but behold sorrow we have only a charge of oppressors but still the same oppressions though under other notions And did not our owne House of Commons whom we both choosed and trusted to defend our Lawes and liberties at their first sitting so aboundantly encourage us both by their legall practises and faire carriages that we could not with any conscience of our duties or sense of our miseries deny to adventure our lives nor bestow our estates for their help maintenance and assistance For did not they release the prisoners bring home the banished utter many excellent speeches in the defence of our Laws Liberties Persons and estates Did not they abolish the Star-Chamber High Commission and Councell-Table Monopolies and Ship-moneyes Did not they demolish many Crosses May-poles and high Altars And did they not make many Fast-dayes and begin to bring wicked men to condigne punishment But so soon as they by these plausible powerfull and effectuall meanes and the Clergies eloquence had got into their hands the Common-wealths moneyes plate and all things else which might either encourage or maintaine a number of souldiers to bring home the King with some bad Counsellors from Yorke to the Parliament they so tasted the sweetnesse and benefit thereof that they not onely used all forcible and effectuall means to get more and more of the Kingdoms money at their dispose untill they not onely made themselves rich and the Common-wealth poore but out of their abundance did divide the spoile which cometh by the ruines of the people liberally amongst themselves and send upon all conuenient occasions beyond the Seas so that these our Trustees at Westminster are quite changed and degenerated from their first love and have betrayed that great and publike trust which all the Commons of England have reposed in them which was chiefly to rectifie all kind of Tyranny and Oppression but therein are so short that they are become the greatest Tyrants and Oppressors themselves For do they not only hate and discountenance all who have been their best and truest friends in their greatest both wants and other extremities but preferre to all places of trust power and command both in Parliament and Common-wealth even those who have assisted their and our enemies in these times and have been alwayes refractary to all goodnesse Do they not still reject as they have done for a long time all worthy Petitions for Englands Liberties and very thankfully accept all that are destructive crosse or contrary thereunto Do they not onely advance those who seek to undermine sell and betray both us themselves and posterities with all our freedomes for some preferments base or private respects to fulfill their owne lusts but likewise imprison threaten and revile the other well-affected party calling them factious and seditious enemies to the State and the like who do petition for such lawfull priviledges as is their due to have and the Parliaments duty to give yea and condemne some of those honest and peaceable peoples best Petitions which do contain all Englands liberties to be burned by the common Hang-man And did they not onely most unjustly and undutifully reject the just and humble Petitions of divers worthy Counties lately for the same Liberties Do they not still oppresse the poore and grind their faces by paying of Excise rather then subside according to Law and reason to lay such burdens for the publike good on the rich who have lands and abilities to beare and indure them and yet notwithstanhing the publike debts and Souldiers are unpayed widdowes fatherlesse and maimed souldiers unprovided and the publike treasurie emptied Yea and which doth reach highest of all they are growne to such an impudency both of injustice and ingratitude against that worthy and renowned Army who preserved their lives and secured their estates that when they were addressing themselves to petition their own Generall concerning very modest and reasonable requests that he might if he thought expedient present them to the House they declared highly against that just Petition of the Army and all the Army themselves calling them enemies to the State and the like if they proceeded any further therein and endeavoured by all possible means either to disband divide or delude them though since upon not prevailing and the Armies standing they have recalled that Declaration without any regard either to justice honour sin or shame thinking thereby to have given the Army some kinde of satisfaction by such counterfeit repentance and forced humiliation even as if the Army who have the sword to act and they