Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A92055
|
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.
|
Rr.
|
1649
(1649)
|
Wing R2166; Thomason E537_6; ESTC R14971
|
36,097
|
40
|
in the next place that I may shew you my Commission to bear me out in this my enterprize besides that call that I have from your selves in your Remonstrance p. 4. The publique affairs in your hands being brought to the utmost Crisis of danger calls upon every man to contribute what help he can Behold I have it written in such a book as is more authentique then yours Levit. 19.17 Thou shalt not hate thy Brother in thy heart thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sin on him The morality of which precept in regard of its equity and necessity being of more force under the Gospel as the bonds of the Brother-hood are now more strong and spirituall Besides which I find in the Gospel that we are not only to mourn for other mens sins Philip. 3.18 but to reprove them Ephes 5.11 And that by the communion of Saints we are not only to exhort and admonish one another Rom. 15.14 But that it is the duty of all that are spirituall to restore those that are overtaken with a fault Gal. 6.4 That they may be set in joynt again after a dislocation Now that you may be restored set in joynt again I shall present you with a Scripture expedient by which you may be recovered out of that dangerous condition in which you have involved your selves and the whole Kingdom in walking by providence without a precept And because that it is more then evident that by those great Victories and Successes wherein God hath used you to be instruments for the Kingdome Your hearts with Vzziahs are lifted up to your own destruction 2 Chron. 26.16 and of the Kingdom Medling with those matters and affairs for which you have no more Commission then hee had for the Priests Office I shall present you with a History out of the truest Chronicle wherein if you will but weigh it as I have done you shall find That which may cure you of your spirituall Tympany As first That successe in Civill warre to prevaile over our Brethren by the Sword is not alwayes a signe of the Conquerours Saintship Secondly That Conquerours that have found good successe in the field are very backward to beleeve that they are Sinners And Thirdly That a sound Conviction of it that there are sins in a prevailing party over their Brethren is an excellent expedient to alter cruell purposes and intentions and beget a brotherly union Now because that I desire nothing more then that you may parallell that Army in the History both in the change of your purposes and desisting from your practises as they did upon a sound Conviction I shall a little amplifie the following History and become not only your Remembrancer but Observator also for want of a Better Because that our Odeds our Prophets that should come to you with the Message I now bring you are like to have but little acceptance Because you are not only apt to question their Commission whether lawfull Ministers but musing as you use to conclude it might come from self-interests and by-respects To detain you no longer therefore from this story you shall find it 2 Chron. 28.6 There wee read of a cruell warre which ended in a bloody slaughter made upon the people of Judah by Pekah the King of Israel who all came out of the loyns of Jacob and were all one Kingdome till through sin seperated and rent asunder by whom was slain in Judah one hundred and twenty thousand in one day which were all valiant men because they had forsaken the Lord God of their fathers vers 6. At which time the Kings Son was slain and two of his Councellors and two hundred thousand women sons and daughters were plundred and brought captive to Samaria But in the midst of this great victory and conquest over their brethren had they an Euge from their Master was it looked upon as that which called for a solemne day of thanks-giving No such matter for behold a Prophet of the Lord was there whose name was Oded and he went out before the Hoast that came unto Samaria and said unto them Behold because the Lord God of your fathers was wrath with Judah he hath delivered them into your hands and yee have slaine them with a rage that reacheth up to heaven vers 10. and now you purpose to keep under the children of Judah and Jerusalem for bond-men and bond-women unto you Now if you wil consult with the story you shal ther see by what argument he diverts them from this cruell purpose of theirs to prosecute this victory with a cruell captivity Saith he But are there not with you even with you sins against the Lord your God This interrogation begot a sound conviction that they notwithstanding their successes were sinners as well as their brethren But how by a particular application of sin unto them with a double interrogation Are there not with you even with you implying how hardly those which are victorious and successefull will bee convinced of their sinfullnesse Had not the Prophet Oded come with this seasonable conviction they might have been puffed up with pride and self-conceitednesse at their successe and have looked upon their conquered and captivated brethren as those Jewes did upon the Galileans whose blood Pilat had mingled with their sacrifices to be greater sinners then themselves They would have said oh these vile wretches these cursed Apostates these having forsaken the Lord God of their fathers are therefore justly delivered as a prey into our hands who are more righteous then they Their King would have introduced idolatry Or at leastwise innovations in the worship and service of God and therefore when he went unto Damascus to strengthen himselfe by the King of Assiria 2 Kings 16.1 he there saw an alter with which he was enamored and by it corrupted the worship and service of God And Vrijah his Cheife Priest was as forward in adulterating the same as he v. 16. And all the people were like their Priest all had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers and turned Apostates But it appeareth that upon this sound conviction by Odeds interrogation the pride of their spirits upon this mighty successe was much abated their cruell purposes and intentions were changed And therefore we read of no reply made unto it no studying for evasions to keep off the blow not a word in the aggravation of their brethrens wickednesse or by way of extenuation of their owne rage and cruelty with which they were charged by the Prophet But to shew the tractability of convinced sinners the Heads of the people instead of arguing they fell to acting and that in opposition to the Army that had been so victorious and were now returned with such a numerous company of prisoners They use no carnall reasonings they consult not with flesh and blood Wee must not discourage the Souldiery they will not ingage for us another time No But in the 12. v. certain of the
amongst you that have ingaged for you either in the House of Commons to our Representatives That you would rather suffer and lay downe your armes at their feet then breake out into acts of disobedience Or in very publicke and promiscuous Congregation where there were too many hearers that came for newes or to make themselves merry with Mr. Peters mimick gestures and Pulpit-scurilities now Plaies are down I say have not you by your fore-mentioned practises made Mr. Peters a Lyar or worse who so often professed in your names in the Pulpit your readinesse to lay down your neckes lives and to live under rockes and Caves in America rather then not disband at the least intimation of the Parliament or to doe any act impeaching their Priviledges or proceedings I beseech you all seriously to consider this But especially you Mr. Peters to whom I have spoken all this while in generall as one of the Army though now in particular as to one that notwithstanding your former ingagements for the Armies obedience are now the greatest hardner of them in this way not onely by leading them by providence into these impious and preposterous courses by perverting the example of Phineas incouraging them in that for ever to be abhorred force of the Parliament by the frequent use of your rustie similitude of a key made bright again by your often use of it which before would not open the doore and therefore must be forced but also perswading them that all the opposition that is made against them in this way is but for a little holinesse a little of Christ in you Oh Mr. Peters is this good pasture for the Lambs of Christ which he would have you feed as you love him May not I well say unto you Oh Archippus Col. 2.17 Take heed unto the ministry that thou hast recived not onely that thou fullfill it But that thou fill it not full with such corrupt abuses of providence Scripture presidents and the partiall urging of some Scripture precepts for carnall ends as to expose the followers of your doctrine to that ruine and calamitie which as Mr. Burton hath observed shall rise over them that are given to change and yet through your unministeriall levitie and Pulpit scurilitie in your gestures and jeans making your poore seduced hearers like those that are stung with the Tarantula to die laughing But verbum sapienti hoping this digression will be pardoned being led unto it by providence But to return Besides your justification of the fears and jealousies of many of the godly concerning you There is a justification like to be produced as the effect of your present practises namely a justification of the wicked which is an abomination unto the Lord Prov. 17.15 Even to justifie all the Sons of Bellal not only such as have been before you in former times but those that shall come after you to whom you may be a sinfull President Doe but thinke with your selves whether or no Jack Cade and his confederates traiterous forcing of the Parliament in former times upon Popular pretences Henry Jermines Percies and Gorings Treason in practising to bring up the Northern Army towards London to over-awe and force the Paliament soon after its commencement and the Kings coming to the Commons House with an armed Train of Cavaliers to demand the five Members Jan. 4. 1641. voted to be a Treasonable Act and an high breach of the priviledge of Parliament are not only justified but exceeded by that force and violence offered to the Parliament by you Decemb. 6 7. And yet besides all this to be the justification as a President for any that shall perpetrate the like wickednesse for the future There is this likewise to be weighed as a sad effect that danger that other States and Kingdoms may be exposed unto by your Example either to be brought under by the Souldierie that they shall raise or else to be kept under by Tyrannie which they shall rather choose then put a Sword into the hands of any to help them lest it should be turned against them when they have done their work as you have done You seem to have a little sence page 34. Remon what will bee the judgement and the sense that will be aptly made by intelligent Spectators of this and neighbour Nations and ages to come of some kind of defect in the Treaty in regard of the Kings restraint in the Isle of Wight But dear Christians you forget that there are intelligent Spectaters of this and neighbour Nations yea and ages to come that will have your perfidious practices upon record and by accident you may be the inslaving of other free people as well as we that will rather with Issachar couch down between their burthens and become servants unto illegall Tribute then run the hazard of having them trebled by those whom they trusted to take them off I beseech you therefore if there be any fellowship of the Spirit if there be in you any bowels of mercy any pittie in you towards your selves your families your friends this dying Kingdom if any zeal for Gods glorie any sence of his dishonour any love to his people any true tendernesse of conscience Make your repentance for your grosse miscarriages as eminent and as publike as your sint Let but Odeds convincing Interrogation get within your consciences that there are with you even with you sins against the Lord your God under all these considerations whereof I have bin your faithfull remembrancer and I doubt not but there will be as evident fruits in the changing of your purposes and intentions as was in those Souldiers in the History and your subjection unto the Princes being answerable with theirs may put a speedy end to our troubles turning our preposterous zeal of executing of justice upon one another into the execution of those king-like lusts within us that war against our soules And to this purpose I shall go on to be your Remembrancer of that counsell that Oded exhibited unto the Army having prepared them for it by his convincing Interrogation 2 Chron. 28.11 Now hear me therefore and deliver the Captives again which you have taken of your Brethren for the fierce wrath of God is upon you Hearken unto me I beseech you to whom I have directed my discourse that God may hearken unto you it was the speech of Iotham upon a violent change of government through the effusion of blood Judg. 9.7 Oh hear me and deliver the Captives again which you have taken shew that God hath touched your hearts with a sence of your sins by a speedie imbracing of this counsell I now tender unto you I do not call upon you to deliver up any of your prisoners of war which are of your Brethren English or Scots although here is a good call somewhat like it the Lord himself teaching you how to bee differenced in your carriage in a time of war towards Bretheren and Forrainers But deliver those Captives that you