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
A85281	The fifth monarchy, or Kingdom of Christ, in opposition to the beasts, asserted, by the Solemn League and Covenant, several learned divines, the late General and Army, (viz.) in their declaration at Muslebrough, August 1650. wherein the old cause is stated, appeals made, the Scottish blood spilt, and the banners yet in Westminster-Hall witnessing the great decision then given on Christs side. Also, by a letter from the officers of the Army in England, to their brethren in Ireland, the 11 of May, 1653. justifying on Christs accompt, the dissolution of the Parliament; and consonant thereunto, the Generals speech to those that succeeded in the government, the fourth of July following ...		1659 (1659)	Wing F890; Thomason E993_31; ESTC R207791	44,997	55

indeed we account our best way of contending with those slanders is to pray the Lord to make our hearts sound in his Statutes that we be not ashamed that so we sanctifying the Lord God in our hearts and having a good conscience they that speak evil of us as of evildoers may be ashamed whilst they falsly accuse our good conversation in Christ And thus have we in the naked plainness of our souls opened our hearts unto you our dear Brethren that fear the Lord in Scotland where ever you be found whether in the highest Councils or the pooest Cottages who though you now be scattered the Lord will in his due time bring you together and bind you up as his Jewels and make you one with those that fear the Lord amongst us which the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and in him our God and Father also bring to pass in his due time and in the mean time make both you and us wise to understand the things that concern the exalting of Christs Kingdom That in all our undertakings we may be subservient to the Affairs of Jesus Christ and above all things take heed how we stir up any of the powers or strength of this world to destroy one another The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace be with you Amen From the Leaguer at Muslebrough August 1. 1650. VVhich said Declaration was sent to the Scots inclosed in a Letter of the General to this purpose viz. That the under-Officers and Souldiers in the English Army had desired him to send to them this their Declaration which he tells them was not a crafty politick one but a plain simple spiritual one such as it is God knoweth and God also will in due time make manifest And do we multiply these words as men Or do we them for the Lord Christ and his peoples sake c. concluding Your humble Servant O. Cromwel And further in their Declaration Agust 16. in answer to the Paper of the general Assembly they conclude thus We shall close with our hearty supplications That the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ would in due time cast down all the Earthly Combinations of all sorts of men that set up themselves and their own corrupt interest in the room of that Scepter of Righteousness which he hath given into the hands of his Son Published by the special appointment of the Council of State For the Right Honourable Charles Fleetwood Esq Commander in chief of the Forces in Ireland to be communicated to our dear friends the Officers under his Command Right Honourable and our dear Christian Friends WHen we consider the many and wonderful things which the Lord hath of late years brought to pass in these three Nations in the subduing of great Armies and casting down all the strong Holds of the Enemy in pouring contempt upon Princes and great men that have not kissed but opposed the Lord Jesus in the work he hath been and is still carrying on in the World and in taking down and altering forms of Government that have been in these Nations both Civil and Ecclesiastical we cannot but cry out Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy ways thou King of Saints who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name for thy judgments are made manifest As you were witnesses of and active in some of those great changes that have formerly been made so we doubt not but you have though at a distance felt the late Earth-quake and have heard of the suddain Dissolution of the Parliament which yet being so great a Revolution we thought it our duty to send you this Letter to the end we might therein let you know the frame of our hearts and how desirous we are that you and we may in the midst of the great dispensations of God still continue stedfast in one spirit that so if it be the Will of t he Lord we may be further instrumental in bringing about those things which may be to the glory of God the good of his people and the peace and welfare of the Commonwealth It would require more time then we have now to spare to give you a particular and full account of all the grounds and reasons upon which this great Action was undertaken and therefore therein we shall refer you to the Declaration of the Lord General and his Council of Officers of the 22 of April last and to your own observations concerning the ill management of Affairs by the late Parliament onely we shall say that this last dangerous remedy of a Dissolution was not used till all other ways had been by us assayed and by them rejected And therefore after four years expectation since the change of the Government finding no performance of those things that tend to the settlement of the Commonwealth in Peace and Righteousness and being abundantly satisfied upon long experience That the Parliament as it was constituted were so far from being the instruments of perfecting the work of the Lord that this whole Cause was in great danger to perish under their hands for which there hath been so vast an expence of Blood and Treasure After much seeking the Face of God taking counsel one with another it was generally apprehended that the only way left us was To endeavor a speedy Change in the Supreme Authority that so the perpetual fitting of the Parliament may be prevented and the Government laid upon the shoulders of such men as might hopefully give us the fruit of all our Labour and Blood and encourage good men to be still willing to hazard their lives against the common Enemy which as things lately stood many had little heart to do And it was in our hearts to seek this thing in such a way that the Parliament might have had the honour of it but it pleased not the Lord to give them an heart to incline to the Motions made in order thereunto by the General in the name of himself and his Officers many of which were present but rather to endeavour a hasty and inconsiderate passing of an Act for a new Representative the danger whereof was very evident and was by the General at a Meeting with many of the Members of Parliament and Officers of the Army abundantly demonstrated to them which yet the next day was so earnestly and precipitantly persisted in that it was found necessary to put them to a sudden Dissolution which also we hope the Lord will make the Medium to future good of which there is the more expectation because it hath pleased God who hath the hearts of all men in his own hand so to order the spirits of men that not onely the Army and Fleet do most unanimously concur and agree but also the generality of all sorts of people do rejoyce therein insomuch that there is not the appearance of the least disturbance And it is the continual and fervent prayers of

withal that he is so neer the enjoyment of his Kingdom Page 44. Jesus Christ wins ground of us every day and works us up age after age to a further Reformation to more light and holiness and so he will do till he hath perfectly overcome every Popish Principle out of them Page 57. I am confident of it that Christ that King of Saints that is in heaven he will not rest till such time as he hath made us one if not injudgment yet in forbearance and that if we will not take warning and will not agree it that either Antichrist or Jesus Christ himself will come in upon us and we shall be made to do it one way or other Page 58. I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it And you that are the Governours of Judah shall be as a hearth of fire amongst the wood and a torch of fire in a sheaf all that oppose you and rise up against you shall be but as so many straws Take a sack of Straw great for Bulk and lay it upon a few coales of fire upon a hearth and what will become of them all though they cover the fire a while yet they will soon be consumed and burnt up Page 42 43. The Saints have vouchsafed them by God a priviledge in ruling and governing this world and the Providences of God therein they are Privy-Counsellours to the great King of kings who governs all the States Kingdoms of this world And God doth give the Saints a Commission to set up and pull down by their prayers and intercessions The old Testament speaks in a high language Esa 45.11 Concerning the work of my hands command you me Who speaks this the words before are Thus saith the holy One of Israel c. it would have been blasphemy for us to have said it Then he goes on bringing in the Lord speaking thus Behold I that am thus your Maker give you leave to dispose by your prayers the great works of my hands which concern my children my sons the affairs of Kingdoms even so far as they relate to their good and saith upon this occasion he raised up Cyrus and pulled down the Babylonian Monarchy because they by their prayers had sought this Further Dr. Owen in his Sermon Heb. 12.27 Page 14. All the present States of the world are cemented together by Antichristian lime and unless they be so shaken as to have every cranny searcht and brusht there will be no quiet habitations for Lord Christ and his people Page 25 The Heavens and the Earth of the Nations in their present constitution are directly formed to the interest of Antichrist which by notable advantages at their first moulding and continued insinuation ever since hath so riveted it self into the very Fundamentals of them that no digging or myning without an Earthquake will cast up the Foundation stones thereof Page 35. Is it not evident to him that hath but half an eye that the whole present constitution of the Governments of the Nations is so cemented with Antichristian Morter from the very top to the bottom that without a thorough shaking they cannot be cleansed And a little after This onely is certain it the said shaking shall not stop nor receive its period before the interest of Antichristianity be wholly separated from the power of these Nations And further saith that no Atonement shall be made for the blood of the Saints slain under the notion of Hereticks nor expiation be allowed whilst a toe of the Image or bone of the Beast is left unbroken And again that which doth and shall stick upon Potentates to their ruine is not so much their own or any other interest as the very dregs of this Papal Antichristian interest thrust into their Oaths and Obligations for no other end in the world but to keep the Lord Jesus out of his Throne In the Book that gives an account of New Englands settlement and some Laws for Government publisht for the use of that Colony printed London 56. Though they humbly acknowledge that the supreme power of making Laws and of repealing of them belongs to God onely and that by him this power is given to Jesus Christ as Mediator Mat. 28.19 John 5.22 and that the Laws for holiness and righteousness are already made given us in the Scriptures which in matters moral or of moral equity may not be altered by humane power or authority Moses onely shewed Israel the Laws and Statutes of God and the Sanhedrim the highest Court amongst the Jews must attend those Laws Yet Civil Courts and Rulers are the Ministers of God for the good of the people and have power to declare publish and establish the Laws he hath made In Fox's Martyrol 1 Volume p. 139. is recorded an Epistle of Eleutherius Bishop of Rome sent to K. Lucius the first Christian K in England 169. You require of us the Roman Laws and the Emperours to be sent over to you that you may practise the same and put them in ure within your Realm The Roman Laws and Emperours we may reprove but the Law of God we may not ye have received of late through Gods mercy in the Realm of Brittany the Law and faith of Christ you have with you within the Realm both the parts of the Scriptures out of them by Gods grace with the Counsel of your Realm take ye a Law and by that Law through Gods sufferance rule your kingdom according to the saying of the Psalmist O God give thy judgments to the King and thy justice to the Kings son he said not The judgment and 〈…〉 The Letter of the General Council of the Army to their Brethren in their several Quarters and Garisons upon their march into Scotland 1650. Dear Christian Friends AS it hath pleased our heavenly Father to call both you and us in these latter days to wait upon him in his great and terrible works so the glory of his appearances hath been exceeding great in those Services And we trust the record of his Love is kept with delight in your heart as we desire it may be upon our own for ever And surely the true use of those precious Experiments wherewith he hath enriched us in this work is to strengthen our Faith and quicken our hearts to a more cheerful attendance on Christ in what further Service he shall appoint us To what End cends that wonderful return of the Pr●…ers of his people in those continued and swift Successes God hath afforded our Brethren in IRELAND but to quicken us to a lively improvement of our interest in Christ by taking those pledges of his Love as means to raise our hearts to expect much more And what can be expected less from us after all such full meals of Mercies but to be strengthened to Conflect with