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 |
A90396
|
Some few queries and considerations proposed to the Cavaliers, being of weighty importance to them.
|
Penington, Isaac, 1616-1679.
|
1660
(1660)
|
Wing P1194; Thomason E1022_1; ESTC R203315
|
6,433
|
8
|
Some few QUERIES AND CONSIDERATIONS Proposed to the CAVALIERS Being of weighty Importance to Them May 2 1660 Query I. VVHether all those Sufferings which have befallen that Party for these many years were just as relating to God or no that is whether they so sinned against him forgetting his Name and fear dealing hardly with such as truly desired to fear him and who in his true fear did differ from their way of worship exalting man in an hard and arbitrary Government both over the Consciences of the upright-hearted towards God and over the rights liberties and persons of the Nation which with many other things as the vanity and excess of the Court the looseness and prophaness of the Gentry swearing drinking of healths and following the vain pomps and vanities of the world which by their very Baptism they stand engaged to deny might fill up their Ephah sway down their ballance and sink their prosperity I say whether these and such like things might not justly provoke the Lord to turn his hand upon them to overturn their Church-Government smite their King who was their strength and bring them under the feet of those whom before they had trampled upon and oppressed Now though they may cry out against men and in the day of their power fly out upon the rod wherewith the Lord chastised them yet this is more proper and safe for them now to consider what hand the Lord had in all these things and whether he was just therein or no. Quer. II. Whether in these their sufferings they have humbled themselves before the Lord submitting to his hand mourning over their sins and transgressions against him and have more desired his gracious mercy and power to pardon deliver them from their sins than to be freed of their sufferings so that if ever it should please him to take his hand from off them and bring them again into place and power they might not so provoke him any more either against themselves or their King but in true humility and in his fear and in love to his name truths and people and the people of this Nation might walk righteously meekly and faithfully in the exercising of authority for the good and peace of all and not for the hurt of any Quer. III. Whether the cause which they now may easily trample upon and despise in those people who were engaged against them was not just on their behalf also in its first rise and at the beginning of the controversie and whether their spirits might not be stirred up by God thereunto wherein if they had continued faithful going on singly in the work of the Lord and not seeking themselves nor the hurt of any but the just rights liberties and good of all according to their engagements this overturn might never have befallen them But they letting Gods Cause fall day after day time after time one opportunity after another no marvel though the Lord hath suffered them to fall also for it was not the intent of the Lord to set up their persons as was often testified to them while they stood but to set up truth and righteousness in these Nations and to give his people full liberty of fearing and obeying him without fear of men This the Lord began to effect by them wherein their service was very precious and acceptable to him which if they had gone on faithfully in they had never seen this day Quer. IV. Whether they consider the hand of the Lord in turning things thus about or whether their eye be on instruments on such as were against them on the one hand and on such as were for them on the other hand for is it not very wonderful to consider how many plots and contrivances they have had one after another to bring this about some whereof were very likely to take and hard to be disappointed and yet all have still failed and now at length unlooked for it hath as it were dropped into their mouths in such a way after such a manner and in so full a measure as they could hardly have expected O that they could eye the Lord herein and fear before him earnestly desiring and waiting for his grace to guide them that at length one generation on whom he shews mercy might shew themselves worthy of his mercy and not provoke him against them by abusing it so on a sudden forfeit and hazard the loss again of what they have been so long desiring and aiming at Quer. V. Whether they consider how easie it is for the Lord to turn things about again in as unexpected a way to them as this was to those who are now overturned Indeed they are setled as to the eye of man what can withstand them what can rise up against them but alas what is the strength of a Nation to the Lord The whole Nation are men and not God and their whole strength flesh and not Spirit and if the Lord rise up against them what are they before him O that they could fear the Lord for his goodness and that those that are fallen under them might fear him for his severity and that we might all give over upbraiding and fighting against one another and every man fight against the lusts of his own heart against pride passion envy covetousness heard-heartedness oppression of mens consciences doing to others what we would not receive from others c. for the hand of God is swift against the unrighteous Spirit and he overturns apace And if this present settlement do not please him but if this generation after all their afflictions prove unworthy of this mercy not letting fall what the hand of the Lord hath gone forth against but thinking again to settle upon firmer foundations what God hath all this while been shaking the Lord will laugh at their counsels and at all their strength and overturn them in a moment This hath been it hath undone the foregoing Powers they have been eyeing men and strengthening themselves against men and if they could but be strong against the visible powers they thought they were safe and secure enough and so have overlooked the invisible hand which was the strength that went forth against them Therefore O Cavaliers consider in this your day how strong are ye against the invisible arme of the Lord If ye are not able to deal therewith fear before it and make peace with it least it prove that the Lord hath raised you up to make his power known upon you and to get himself a name by your overthrow This is a warning of love to you even from that which saw this your day before it came Quer. VI. Whether an evill Spirit a loose Spirit a Spirit which is out of the fear of God and against them that fear God hath not risen up in the Nation and been too much encouraged since your coming into power The end of government is to bring men into and encourage and preserve them in the fear of