Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A92055
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The armies remembrancer. Wherein they are presented with a sight of their sinnes and dangers. And also with a Scripture expedient for their preservation. / By a cordiall friend to the kingdomes welfare, Rr.
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Rr.
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1649
(1649)
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Wing R2166; Thomason E537_6; ESTC R14971
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36,097
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40
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by the Lord of Hoasts not only refuse to disband but as aforesaid march up and bring that evill upon the Parliament which by their own and the Kingdoms Protestation they feared from the Northern Army Viz A Rape and Force upon them And that by your continuance in Armes should occasion as through the Activity of Malignant Spirits so generally through the sence the Countries and the Kingdom had of their unsupportable burthen by your means to be again imbroyled in a New War Wherein as you are not guiltlesse as in the occasion of the war So chiefly in the interruption of that peace so generally desired And therefore when as the poor Kingdom torn and rent with civill wars weary of its burthen seeing no hopes of ending by the Sword but that one extremity did daily beget another had prevailed by their Petitions to the Parliament for a Treaty which was obtained and in it such a progresse made as that the Parliament notwithstanding your Remonstrance voted The Kings last Answer to be a good foundation for a Peace and settlement Yet who hath disappointed the Kingdoms hopes but you not only inveighing against the Treaty as just or safe for the Parliament to mannage though you durst when time was presume to Treat with him your selves when it was unquestionably unjust for you having no delegation from the Kingdome or its Representatives but also by the power of the Sword to interrupt it without and against the consent of the oppressed Kingdom whose cry I fear is gone up to heaven against you Besides which with your interposition in the affaires of the Kingdome in taking the work out of the hand of the Kingdoms Representative Have you not by your late practises not only endeavoured but acted those iniquities which you were only raised to prevent in the forces raised by the King namely the subverting of the fundamentall Laws of England the power and priviledges of the Parliament and the lawfull Liberties of the Subject And all under the colour of laying new foundations for freedome which in the language of Justice Sedgwick have little of right freedome or common safety in them being framed with restect to your own private interest why therefore saith he doe you dissemble with men holding forth a foundation to settle the Kingdom when that you doe professe your selves to be appointed and called for breaking in pieces the powers of the world page 48. But if there be any reall intentions in you of a settlement which your intimate friend doth much question that you may see what your private spirits confident of their Abillity and Judgement for greatest matters of State Policy have produced to impose upon the Kingdome I shall give you the description of your intended Government by Justice Sedg Not in his New View but in his True View of the Army p. 22. For your present forme of Government it is such a headlesse Monster such a boddy doddy such an all breech so different from the Majesty of God and the Wisdome of men that it would fright solid and serious men to their Armes If I should fight against any thing I should fight against this But more seriously hoping that God will never permit you to erect and set up a second Fabrick that falling so short of the glory of the first Temple of our Government should fill all Spectators with watery eyes and yet extreamely fearing lest that under all your pretences for justice instead of any kinde of Government you are laying the foundation of perpetuall misery unto this Kingdome both by intestine and Forraigne troubles Oh let Odeds interrogation take hold of your hearts are there not with you even with you sinnes against the Lord your God not onely in Relation unto the King and Parliament but in Relation unto the whole Kingdome But in the fourth place let me be your Remembrancer a little further And with Oded aske you Are there not with you even with you sinnes against the Lord your God not onely in relation to King Parliament and Kingdome but also in relation to the Metropolis of the Kingdome the Famous City of London the great assistant of the Parliament Famous for its incouragement to the Parliament in maintaining it as was acknowledged by Mr. John Pym in his Speech to them Novemb. 10. 1641. Not to speake of its sufferings in common with the Kingdome by the meanes of your former disobedience to the Parliament Or to minde you at large of the contempt you poured upon the City shortly after when you marched through the City as Conquerours with Bayes in your hats your possessing your selves of the Tower of London casting out their Lievetenant put in by the Parliament at their request impeaching and imprisoning by your meanes some of their Aldermen that were knowne to be of Publique Spirits not inriching themselves with the ruines of the Kingdome together with some of the Common Councell both for piety and stability to their Principles Protestation Vow and Covenant without exception charging the whole City with defection and Apostacy from the Parliament I beseech you seriously consider cannot they taxe you with unfaithfulnesse as well as King Parliament and Kingdome Peruse but your Letter sent to them from Royston June 10. 1647. Wherin you professe you desire no alteration of the Civill Government nor that you seek to open a way unto licentious liberty under pretence of obtaining ease for tender consciences page 5. and doe not you professe that when the State hath once made a settlement you have nothing to say but to submit or to suffer Do but compare your practices with this profession made unto the City and consider whether you have not much cause to be humbled are not all your present practices in opposition to the Parliament Kingdome and City made our of measure sinnefull by acting so contrary unto your profession But besides all this Consider I pray you the feares and the dangers which you have exposed them unto in this your last expedition against the Parliament not to speake of your unreasonable demands for monies in such vast summes your menacing pressing for your arreares even for those twelve moneths service past since the Vote of your disbanding Is not your possessing your selves of the gates of the City planting Ordinances against them as in Black-friers and other places your violent seizing upon the person of their Shreive Major Generall Browne Are not these most injurious and unchristian carriages to the City And besides the unconceivable damage you have brought unto it by the decay of trade and merchandizing who knoweth what further danger may arise by quartering the Army thus amongst them These things thus laid together and well weighed must needs bring you to a sound conviction that there are with you even with you sinnes against the Lord your God in relation to the City Again are there not with you even with you sins against the Gedly learned and sound Ministers in the Kingdome Are you not such
joynt again I shall endeavour by hard arguments and soft words to convince you from your owne Papers your practizes and declared purposes by all which it will appeare that though by many you have beene most miserably flattered yet besides those manifest fruits of the flesh which are predominant in many of you as Wrath Strife Sedition Heresie Gal. 5.20 There are likewise many other sinnes to be found amongst you that will declare that the Spots that are upon you are not the spots of Gods Children But before I begin besides what I have already sayd in my Preamble to take off all prejudice and that you might see into my heart and behold the Rise of this conviction which is the truest love that can be manifested I doe in the Bowels of Christ not onely desire your patience to reade over and over what I am now to lay before you though it may seeme to be expence of time and a diversion from your weighty imployments Because if effectuall may save you a great deale of time which otherwise you are like to spend in the undoing of your selves and the Kingdome But as I desire your patience to reade it so to be Patients And if to restore you and set you in joynt againe I should handle you hard to your feeling Consider I beseech you it is not intended to hurt you but to helpe and heale you If the Lord Jesus by the ligament of his convincing Spirit be but pleased to binde on that which I onely can apply to your dislocations I begin therefore with Oded to aske you this question Are there not with you even with you sins against the Lord immediately Are not you who doe expresse so much bitternesse of spirit against others as Apostates Are not you guilty of Apostacy both Dogmaticall and Morall Have you not beene so farre from walking worthy of that liberty the Lord hath given us from Prelaticall Persecution by holding fast the forme of sound Doctrine of Faith and Love 2 Tim. 1.13 and that faithfull word you have beene taught As not onely to be carryed about with every wind of Doctrine to bring the Mysteries of faith unto the Barre of shallow and corrupt reason that incompetent Judge And to disgust and dislike those Ancient Truths of Humiliation for sinne and mortification of the same but also from these beginnings of Dogmaticall Apostacy into small errours proceeding unto such as doe race those very Fundamentall Poynts and Principles of Religion which have the greatest influence into practicall Holinesse Therein verifying Mr. John Goodwins assertion in his booke of justification in his Preface to the Reader Page 13. sayes he Lots plea for Zoar is it not a little one is at no hand to be admitted for the sparing of any errour A small errour cannot lightly be favoured or connived at but that great errours will be comprehended in the Indulgence Oh Brethren I beseech you be but serious in a selfe reflection in this particular who by Sathans subtlety and sophestry are so beguiled as that though your Gold be turned into Tynne your Silver into Drosse Truth into Errour Verity into Here is yet to conclude your condition was never better and therefore doe account those Ministers or Christians your greatest Enemies that doe oppose you Especially in your endeavoured for Act of * Tolleration Indemnity for all Apostates that shall depart from the truth I shall forbeare in this place interrogating whether there are not in you sins against the Lord your God Not onely by your misbeleefe in point of Errour and Heresie but by your unbeleefe the universall Cause or Mother of that Morall Apostacy you are guilty of because I shall have occasion to mind you both of that and your abuse of the mercies and providence of God by and by And not to mind you at large of your grand and Originall disobedience unto the Commands of the Parliament in Refusing to disband May 1647. your surprizing and removing the Kings Person from Holdenby without and against the Parliaments pleasure or privity and after that your marching up against the House accusing their Members presenting the House with Messages so full of arrogancy as was altogether inconsistent with humble Saints prescribing them a time with menacing expressions to answer you before night as is to be seen in some of your printed Letters and Messages which are upon record to the scandall of Religion I say not to mention or remember you of these any further then to bring you unto a sound conviction of your unconformity unto the Rule of the word and the example of your Saviour Oh the sinnes that are with you even with you against the Lord your God Even since as it was reported to the gladding of the hearts of many that were truely godly that you did keepe a day of Humiliation for those forementioned offences Yea even since you have found the Lord graciously preserving you from being devoured by a fire of your owne kindling from ruine and destruction through those late Insurrections both in England and Scotland of both which you were the occasion by your not disbanding I beseech you aske your selves this Question Are there not with you even with you sins against the Lord your God Have not you abused the late mercies of God to your selves and this Kingdome those great Victories and speedy successes with which God had crowned you for the Kingdomes good Have not you crossed that providence of his by which as with a Sunne beame he writ his gracious intentions towards this Kingdome in ending their troubles by a Treaty having from so low a condition suddainely raised up our Representatives to a capacity of Treating upon Tearmes both Honourable safe and profitable for themselves and the Kingdome Have not you abused all by your practises and purposes declared in your Remonstrance That you have so I shall onely be your Remembrancer to remember you of an objurgation and expostulation with you of a Prophet of your owne Mr. William Sedgwick who though a very unlikely instrument yet in his Justice upon your Remonstrance in many places God hath opened his mouth as once he did Baalams Asse to reprove you Though now in his New view he would like that Prophets Animall carry you himselfe lest you should not move fast enough into those courses that are like to prove so destructive to your selves and the Cause of God But by the light he then had heare him from the quick stirrings of his owne conscience who professeth intimate acquaintance with your designes from the beginning pag. 23. Remon I say nay I pray heare his expostulation with you pag. 17. God hath beene gracious unto you and reprieved you for a while from destruction doe you thus abuse it to harden your hearts to pride malice and wicked insulting over your Brethren Is this the use of your Victories to have opportunities to doe more mischiefe and so treasure up wrath for your selves for all that you lay upon