Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	faith_n	justify_v	work_n	69,048	5	7.2995	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67913	The free-born English mans plea for justice: or, A cry against post-fact laws. Being a survey of the controversies touching the late purchased titles through the true perspective of justice. By William Jackson, one who hath lived to see the famine of justice removed, and hopes to see it continue as plentifully amongst us; as food in Samaria; after the flight of these Assirians: 2 Kings, 7.	Jackson, William, 1636 or 7-1680.	1660 (1660)	Wing J93; ESTC R207910	14,659	20

make one harmonious body of people and not be yeilded up to any severity more than others I answer first that not one of a hundred interressed in any such unjust acquests had the least good liking to this revolution but as much as in then lay both with body mind endeavor'd all such meant to hinder it as was possible for them to contrive by which the Parliament and Nation are not so obliged to them in point of gratitude as some of them pretend And farther though that consideration were eminent enough to obliterate all past disaffections though visibly it be far otherwise yet ought not far greater merits than they can plead for to priviledg them more than the rest of their fellow-subjects for if they be continued in such Possessions as the Common Laws of the land wil not Justifie them in are not they made above Law to their advantage and others whose right the Law saies it is oppressed against Laws so that if it should pass thus breach of Laws Peace Justice c. would be rewarded with privildges above and against Laws and Duty Obedience Conformity to Laws Honesty good Conscience and loyalty which let me tel you is no smal virtue in any Member of a body politicko ppressed contrary to Law and equity which were a pestilent perverting of the very essential constitution of al Governments and a poyson beyond al Antidotes for as Justice is the greatest maintainer efficient cause of the wel being of a Nation so injustice the greatest poyson destroyer that can be permitted but that Government that shal prescribe so broad a way for the propagation of it like a dispairing man provides the readiest instrument for its own destruction that may be and renders it self highly guilty of self murder All this pleads still with the most equitable moderation but for equity on all parts that we may have all the same Laws nor is it my drift to urge rigor at all against the greatest offenders whatsoever but shal while I breath desire so much Justice that Laws may be equally general to all and that upon so little deserts the worst of subjects might not have their unjust actions countenanced nor the truest subjects for their duty and love both to King and Laws Country and Justice be injur'd by post fact laws such things as no honest man that made Conscience of his actions would ever need No modest man that did not arrogantly seek to priviledg his unjustifiable actions could ever have impudence to demand So barbarous are they that there is but one Nation or rather herd of wolvish Tartars that even own'd them These are those Spiders Webs that catch only the laboring Bees but let ravenous Waspes and Hornets go free and since they have been and are still endeavored to be made so mischeivous to this Nation we have as much reason to insert them into our lettany as the Plague Pestilence or Famin and indeed the Judgment that such Laws are like to bring upon us may give all good men just cause to say From Post-fact Laws and the contrivers of them good Lord deliver us Now for the last Asylum Or resuge that those Law breakers have for themselves to say that others are wicked themselves good others profane themselves holy others Devils themselves Saints and many expressions of like Nature first let me tell them t is an ill signe for people to speak well of themselves and no Law either of God or man in any Nation ever accepted of a mans testimony in his own cause and Christ himself denies it of himself though the transcendency of his person might have priviledged him without being an example of the like to us but belike he foresaw of how il consequence it might be to leave such an example therefore saith If I bear witness of my self my witness is not true Mens own words are no testimony in their own cause next let me tel them t is so Pharisaical a trick that though perchance it should proove true it wil make others Judg of them as the Gospel censures the Pharises alwaies joyning the Name of Hypocrites Wo to you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for self Justification when not necessary to vindicate a man from some imputation laid to his charge is a common badg of Hypocrisie and next this as is before mentioned is no Justification of a wrong Nay 't is a notable return that those that intrude upon such specious holiness unjustly are more wicked in such an extortion than all they can object to the wronged party wil render him guilty of and are so very justly disrobed of their own holy Cloak that cover'd their covetousness Such Boasters are very wel resembled by the Peacock which gives a glorious shew with his spread traine forwards sees it himself and walks stately with the conceit of his glorious appearance But to them that veiw him round behind his Feathers are dark colord and unseemly and his Feet black and uncomly which is not so easily discover'd when he gives not standers by occasion to observe him by his pride If therfore these men did not so much cry up their own holiness and others Prophaneness their imperfections might pass less noted but to cure such arrogancy there is no way but to let them see the blackness of the feet they stand on that Peacock like they may let fal their boasting with shame I mean to give them a remembrance of the unjust extortion which they conceald under the specious covering of reformation and zeal for whilest they make these gay pretences they rob others contrary to the Laws foment the divisions of the Nation to the procuring of much effusion of blood and much more mischeif that might be reckoned now if they would look upon these deformities sure they would never boast of their Saint like appearance T is not for a man to boast of godliness and urge breach of Laws or to say they feed the flocks that rob the true Shep-heards put in by the Laws of the Land St. Peter and Paul both give other Ruls Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as supream or unto governors as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers c. So that t is not mens guilded behavior but their obedience to the Laws of the Land is to give us direction to judg of their goodness this makes a man a good subject without which what ever he pretend to he can never be a Saint indeed Obedience saith Samuel is better than Sacrifice and St. Iames Shew me thy faith by thy Works Appearances are good if they be joyned with inward righteousness for Christ commands it Let your light so shine before men but he adds That they may see your good Works Now the work of obedience to the Laws of the Land is the great and weighty work as is shewed before out of Peter

T is not the tithing of Mint Annise c. Justifies a Man But the weighty matters of the Law Iudgment Mercy Faith these ought ye to have done but not to leave the other undone ye blind guides which strain at a Guat and smallow a Camel T is not a pretence of scruple against ceremonies can Justifie the disobedience to the higher powers and the violent and illegal seizing of others mens Estates in which the Law Justifies them And let me tel them it makes not much for their Justification or Saintedness that they were put into possession by the Arbitrary violence of such a power that terminated in the Murder of the King which without doubt bolstred themselves with such Appendixes as should be necessary to support them to their intended mischeif T is a wonder to me with what impudence men can plead a possession from so villanous a force no more justifiable by Law or reason than any common robbery not see I how any one that holds any benevolence of theirs dffers any more from their crime than the receiver from the Theif that is if they shal stand upon maintaining the possession they had of them possibly some may have been abused by their false Glosses but if they persevere their fault appears not through ignorance but willfulness for the ringleaders of that treasonable Practice could give no better title than they had which was only Violence and Rapine do not then they partake with them that shal Justifie any possession from their Title Nay can they hope that so Free a Parliament as this is can make good the receipt of their roberies No I perswade my selfe too many of them have felt their malice too much and have known their cruelty and injustice too well to be brought to consent to their Villanies for they know very well that Qui non probibet cum licet Iubet And I am confident these men will have a greater task than Hercules's labour to prevaile with so eminent an assembly ever to justifie such villanies The injustice they have seen will make them too fearful of the like againe to give any incouragement to what is past t is time at length to lay aside Private interest and advance the publique which can be no way provided for but by Justice losses will be great enough to the loosers do what can be done so long profits can never be restor'd them they belonged to and on the otherside the gains will be too great to them that have deserved far otherwise how strictly soever they be call'd to account and we may be certain of this that very few of them can be brought to a more desperate fortune that they began withall so that none need fear overdoing on this hand so long ryot upon other mens Purses and labors together with corporal impunity is advantage enough Nay too great for such unacceptable Service as they have done the Nation therefore I think it will be the most reasonable ples that all sufferers can make that they may have Justice and in that their oppressors wil not know how to oppose their desires for to say they desire no Justice though it be like all former impudence of theirs they perhaps are yet ashamed to profess themselves enemies to it but if they say they desire Justice according to the Laws then all English men have their priviledge and one plea will serve us all but by their fruits already brought forth we may partly know what to expect for the future and assure our selves they will pervert the sense of the thing or slink into obscurity least now the light of truth shines freely every where their deformities he made more apparent for Justice is the light and life of the Body Politick and the Law the window to let that light into all parts of that Body to discover the actions of every man so that they that hate the Law hate the light that makes their actions appear and it is a shrowed sign of their own conscience accusing them if they refuse to be tryed by the Laws For every one that doth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reprooved but he that doth truth cometh to the light that his deeds be made manifest that they are wrought in God Let us therefore with alacrity think on no other Plea than that Justice may be afforded to all alike we desire no more priviledg than other men have and we desire on the contrary they may have no more than we and that no Post-fact Laws may be made to the advantage of any perticular mans interest but that as God hath ordained from the beginning one only truth and one Catholick Church universally dispensable to all so that our Nation in Imitation to his ordering of the Oeconomy of the universe may have one general maintainance of his truth by an equal and general dispensation fo the Laws our property rectified and secured that once again Justice may flourish that so we may receive his best of temperal blessings PEACE and Truth within our Walls and Plenteousness in our Pallaces So let every true English man and Loyal subject pray These Queries I thought fit to add for a Pallisad about what hath been written that if any snarle at what hath been said he may happily first break his Teeth against these following 1. Whether Might without right be not absolute Tyranny and usurpation 2. Whether to argue from the orders and injunctions of violent assemblies be not to set up the power of the Sword above the civil power and consequently a changing of goverment from the rule of reason to be ruled by wil 3. Whether they can be freinds to a Nation that indeavour alteration of Goverment by force Contrary to the will of all parties related to such a Goverment 4. Whether Laws are not to be the rule of our actions in this Kingdom 5. Whether it be Justice to dispossess any man of his possession by force who is not first dispossessed by the Judgment of the Law 6. Whether right be any thing else in civil societies than a legal warranting of our actions or claims by the Law of the Land 7. Whether a violent possession against the Laws of the Land be Justifiable by any honest man good Christian or any other than a new fashion'd Saint 8. Whether Vir bonus est quis Qui consulta patrum qui leges Iuraque servat Be not a sufficient character to know an honest man by 9. And Lastly Whether Post-fact Laws be not the most Arbitrary Imposition that can be contrived and whether it be possible to avoid such snares if they should be allowed FINIS Nich. Machiav Disput. de Rep. Cap. 27. Tullij Offic. Lib. 1. Iohn 10. 1. Math. 6. 19 20. Luke 18. 11. Math. 7. 17. Mark 13 20. Math. 6. 23. 1 Kings 3. 27 28. Iohn 5. 31. 33. Math. ●3 v. 23. 27 29. 1 Peter 2. 13. Rom. 13. 1. c. Math. 5. 16. Math. 23. 23 24. Iohn 3. 20.