Selected quad for the lemma: nature_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nature_n	law_n	moral_a	precept_n	2,880	5	9.5945	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60592	The charge given by Sr. William Smith, Brt. at the quarter-sessions of the peace held for the county of Middlesex, at Westminster, on Monday the 24th of April, 1682.	England and Wales. Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace (Middlesex); Smith, William, Sir, 1616 or 17-1696.	1682 (1682)	Wing S4255A; ESTC R19647	12,812	13

of a good King It is to be a good People for God who is infinite Goodness gives an ill King for the punishment of an ill People and you cannot displease and provoke him more than when he hath given you a good King if you do not treat and esteem him as you ought The King which he hath been pleased to bless us with at this time is I may say with great truth the best Prince in the World whom God long preserve and if we honour and obey him as God expects and our duty requires God will not fail to send a good Successor The Peace of the Kingdom is and ought to be the King's Care and it could not be expected that the Duke should have sate still under such an Indignity and if he had the Princes of Christendom to whom he is allied and he is allied to many and the Greatest would have taken up the Quarrel and then our Fields of Peace would have been turned to Fields of Blood Those who read History may find what Miserie 's this Kingdom for many years suffered when the Dispute was between the two Houses of York and Lancaster how many noble Families were destroyed and many thousand of men lost their Lives and if God had not had compassion of this Kingdom and provided an Expedient to unite them the misery of War for ought I know might have continued to this day Wars are not so soon or so easily ended as begun and it is very observable that the neighbour-Princes made it their business to continue that Difference some Prince or other always took part with him who was conquered and so vicissim with him who was down not out of any other consideration than their own Interest that they might keep England imbroiled at home which they knew was the true way to keep Wars and Troubles from their own doors I hope England for the future will never be so unwise as to give them the like advantage Gentlemen The proper business of a Charge is to acquaint you with the Laws and Statutes of this Kingdom their Usefulness and Penalties that I have done heretofore to former Grand Juries but it hath not had so good effect as I could have wished Amongst others I did acquaint them with the Statute of 13. of the King which was made for the preservation of his Majesties Person and Government it did provide against Treason against seditious Preaching and Printing and against setting up Votes of one or both Houses of Parliament to be effectual as Laws But notwithstanding that and other Statutes we find that Persons have been lately accused for Treason defamatory Pamphlets and Libels are sold about the Streets as good merchantable Wares and Votes of the House of Commons printed to give check to Laws Men are grown to a strange boldness and out-do Pasquil in Rome he tells bold Truths but these here wicked and impudent Lyes The sin of Cham and that which clave to his Posterity was that he uncovered his Father's nakedness and the greatest Crime of that Tyrant Nero was that he ript up the Belly of his Mother Gentlemen The King is Pater Patriae and the Common-Wealth is our Mother and he who rips up her Bowels and shews her Weakness or Deformity or abuseth his Father forfeits his very nature and is more wicked then either Cham or Nero until men come to have a sense of Religion and obey for Conscience-sake I shall be hopeless that Laws will prevail and yet I shall adventure to recommend one Statute to you more a Statute not made by Kings Lords and Commons but by their King the King of Kings and it is this Statutum est omnibus semel mori a Statute Gentlemen which was never repealed or ever will be and those who shall be indicted upon this Statute no Ignoramus can prevent their Tryal nor shall the credit of the Evidence be questioned and the Sentence will have speedy Execution Those who shall be found Innocent their Sentence will be Venite Beati but those who will be found Guilty Ite Maledicti a dreadful Sentence that not like the Sentence we have here Go to the place from whence you came and so to the place of Execution and there hang by the Neck until you are Dead Or as we have it by Tradition to be hanged in Chains alive until you are starved to Death These are easy Sentences because a little time determines the pain but this dreadful Sentence of Ite Maledicti sends the Criminal to a place of horrour and darkness where his Meat and Drink will be Fire and Brimstone his Companions such who he durst not look upon when he was in the World Devils and Furies not to make him sport and pastime but to torment him and that which aggravates this punishment is that it is attended with despair never to come out of that place of Torment If this was well considered and laid to heart could a reasonable man be invited by any temptation whatsoever to gratify his ambition or other appetites with those things which will be enjoyed but for a very short time and adventure this Sentence of Ite Maledicti but pray let us consider what to do to avoid this fearful Sentence The Psalmist instructs us he who will ascend the Holy Mountain must have clean hands a pure heart must not lift up his mind to vanity and must not be sworn to deceive his Neighbour he must have clean hands not subject to Bribery or Corruption a pure heart he must design nothing injurious to God his King or his Country he must not lift up his mind to vanity but must lay aside all ambitious thoughts and be contented with the Station where God Almighty hath placed him he must not be sworn to deceive his Neighbour this last is part of the Law of Nature and one of the Precepts of the Moral Law Thou shalt not bear false Witness against thy Neighbour under this Head comes all Perjury Subornation of Perjury Lying Deceit Treachery and Falshood the Psalmist lays before us our Duty at this time and if we perform it justly we may avoid this Sentence of Ite Maledicti Gentlemen we have all sworn you the Juries of Constables to present without favour or affection hatred or malice and you ought to present all those Crimes which are committed within your several Parishes and Precincts against the Laws and Statutes of this Kingdom and you Gentlemen of the Grand Jury are likewise sworn to present without favour or affection hatred or malice and we upon the Bench are sworn to do Justice according to the best of our skill and knowledge we are not only sworn but we have likewise made a Covenant with God to be just according to our Oaths at the end of our Oaths we say so help me God which is as much as to say we desire no help from God in our needs if we do not do that which is just according to our Oaths Now I would

advise all men to consider that humane Nature is lyable to many Infirmities and Accidents To Sickness past the help of a Physitian to Oppression above the help of Law and Lawyers to Poverty and have no Friends to afford relief In all these Cases when humane Helps fail Nature points out the ways to address to God But with what confidence can we do it when we call to mind we broke Covenant with him at such and such a time which we cannot fail to do for Conscience is a most certain Remembrancer Is not a man a most silly Creature who shall adventure to break this Covenant to gratify any Appetite and please any Party and by it put himself out of Gods Protection and from under his care in this World and without Gods infinite mercies to come under that severe Sentence of Ite Maledicti in the next Gentlemen Grand-Juries have always been esteemed the Honour of the Government and the great Security of the Lives and Liberties of the Subject they are to be Probos legales Homines and so is a golden Chain as well for Ornament as Security If they should prove otherwise this Chain of Gold would be turned into Gives and Fetters of Iron and Brass and we should be greater Slaves here in England than they are in Algiers our Ancestors have taken great care that the Grand-Juries should be such as they ought to be and as you may see the Statutes made in that Case provide but for all that it is happy for the people that the King hath the Nomination of the Sheriffs by whom the Juries are to be returned It is a Prerogative of great consequence and not to be intrusted in the hands of any Subject or Subjects whatsoever the King sits aloft above all and looks down upon all his Subjects and like the Sun sends forth his Beams upon all alike his Spirit is as high as his Place when God intended to remove Moses and had appointed Joshua to succeed him he commanded Moses to put some of his Honour upon him and that the Text explains to be the Spirit of Wisdom which is the Spirit of Government and that no Subject hath He is not therefore to be equipped with too large a Sayl for his bottom for fear it should overset the Kings Prerogative if it was well understood is the Subjects chiefest safety and ought not to be in a Subjects hand for the Subjects sake and it is to be hoped no man for the future will presume to advise the King to part with any of it Every thing is most natural when it is in its proper Place the King is to govern the people to obey this is harmonious and no wise or good man will make discord he who is for the King is for People and he who is truly for the People is as truly for the King They cannot be divided but they must be in danger to be destroyed it is therefore folly as well as mutiny to say I am for the King or I am for the Country except in Conjunction he who is not a friend to both is not a friend to either I have ever esteemed Monarchy as the best of Governments it is the Government of Heaven and ours the best of Monarchies and if it be possible I now esteem it much more than ever I am not afraid of the King I am sure he will do me no hurt if I keep the Law but I must confess I am afraid of some of my fellow-Subjects Story will tell you there was a great Faction in Italy between the Guelfes and the Gibelines the great and rich City of Florence was almost destroyed by it sometimes one got the upper hand sometimes the other but God was pleased to put an end to the Miseries of that City by a Monarchy under which it hath been happy ever since Pray Gentlemen let us make it our Business as it is our Interest to preserve our Monarchy from being shaken This is to be done by universal Justice that is the chiefest Pillar which supports Monarchies and if any man shall by fraud undermine that Pillar or by force shake it he will like Sampson pull the whole Fabrick upon his own head and destroy himself But they will differ in this Sampson had great provocation his eyes were put out by the Philistines and they made him their sport and pastime but whosoever shall shake this Pillar here do it from the force of a wicked inclination to destroy the Government under which he may live happily and safely if he will and so adds the sin of Ingratitude to that of Disobedience Gentlemen I have troubled you too long but what I have said I hope will not be wholly useless God who is the searcher of all hearts knows I have not spoke from the spirit of bitterness to blow the Coals or rub the old Sore I have no Animosity against any man living my design was to lay before you the danger of Divisions and making Parties and so exhort you to Peace and Unity and not throw away the Blessings we enjoy and make our selves ridiculous to all the World The matter of a Charge as it respects the Laws and Statues I have caused for your ease and help to be contrived into Articles which shall be read to you Mr. Clerk of the Peace pray read them Articles to be presented by the High and Petty Constables to the Grand Jury and to be inquired into by the said Grand Jury 1. IMprimis You are to present all petty Treason Misprisions of Treason all Priests and Jesuits and others that have received any Orders from the Church or See of Rome 2. All Murders Manslaughters Robberies Burglaries Breaking of Houses in the day time Fellonies Petty-Larcenies and the Accessories thereunto Committed and done within your several Hundreds and Precincts 3. You are to present all Popish and other Recusants that do not come to their several Parish Churches within your Divisions 4. You are to present all unlicensed Alehouse-keepers and what disorderly Alehouses you have within your Divisions 5. You are to present the neglect of Hughs and Cryes of and in whose default 6. You are to present all High-ways and Bridges unrepaired within your Hundreds and Parishes and who are to repair them 7. You are to present all that erect Cottages or that continue Cottages not having four Acres of Land to be occupied by the Inhabitants of the said Cottages within your Divisions 8. You are to present all profane Swearers and Cursers within your Hundred and Liberties 9. You are to present all common Barretors common Disturbers Libellers and others that break the Kings Peace all Outcrys and Bloud-sheds that happen within your Liberties and Precincts 10. You are to present all Forestallers Regrators and Ingrossers all Embracers of Juries that you know of within your Hundreds and Precincts Gentlemen IT is your Duty to present what shall come in proof before you upon these Articles and first you must take care of Religion to enquire after Priests Jesuits Popish Recusants and all other Dissenters from the Church you must enquire after all Treasons which although they cannot be tryed here by vertue of our Commission yet they ought to be presented you are to inquire after and present all Murthers Burglaries Robberies Felonies and all other Crimes against the Laws and Statutes of this Kingdom I wind up all with this Advice that you will Serve God Honour the King Love one another and take heed to those who are given to change THe Court observing that the Charge was taken in Writing commanded it should be delivered to the Clerk of the Peace that it might not be published without their direction but finding in a printed Pamphlet published by R. Janeway that their Chairman is very unworthily reflected upon and some part of the Charge misrepresented They have thought fit to order it to be printed to the intent the whole Kingdom may see their opinion which this Charge unanimously is with hopes that all His Majesties good and peaceable minded Subjects will be of the same ORdered by this Court that the Charge given in Sessions by Sir William Smith be printed and that the thanks of this Bench be given to Sir William Smith for his Prudent Care and constant endeavour in the management of Affairs for the preservation of the publick Peace and His Majesties Government And this Court doth declare they will adhere to Sir William Smith and stand by him Per Cur. Adderley London Printed by Tho. Hodgkin 1682.