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sense_n	according_a	reason_n	word_n	1,964	5	4.1588	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88579	A cleare and necessary vindication of the principles and practices of me Christopher Love, since my tryall before, and condemnation by, the High Court of Iustice. Whereby it is manifested, that a close prison, a long sword, a High Court, and a bloody scaffold, have not in the least altered my judgment. Whereas also the cruelty of the sentence, the insufficiency of the proofs, and my own innocency, are demonstrated. As also my grounds and reasons of giving in a narrative, and the lawfulness of the matter and titles of my petitions (though to usurpers) manifested and maintained. Together with a declaration of my judgement concerning Cromwells unlawfull invasion of the kingdom of Scotland. Written by me Christopher Love, Master of Arts, minister of Lawrence Iury, London; penned by me the eighth of August, fourteen days before my death.	Love, Christopher, 1618-1651.	1651 (1651)	Wing L3148; Thomason E790_5; ESTC R202748	58,288	49

confesse it I have done those things contrary to their late Acts which are punishable with death by their cruell Lawes so that if the Reader marke my words I do not place my guiltinesse of the sentence of death upon the things proved against me but upon the things done by me And when I say The sentence of death is justly past upon me by the High Court of Iustice I do not place the justice of the sentence on the clearnesse or sufficiency of the proof for there was no treasonable fact as they call it proved against me by two Witnesses but upon my violation of their Lawes that is I had done those things which are punishable by their bloody Lawes with death I did violate their Lawes and upon my violation of their Lawes not upon the clearnesse of the evidence do I acknowledge the sentence of death to be justly past upon by their bloody and tyrannicall Lawe for although eight Witnesses came in against me yet they were very deficient in their evidence sometimes they contradicted one another they did not agree among themselves sometimes a Witnesse contradicted himselfe none of the Witnesses proved that ever I received Letter that ever I writ Letter that ever I collected gave or lent one peny of money yet I am condemned to dye I confesse I did write two Letters and did give a small summe of money not upon any Military accompt both which facts are adjudged Treason by their new Acts in which regard I do acknowledge the sentence of death is justly past upon me that this was the sence that I intended many friends who were with me in the Tower can beare Witnesse Thirdly In a sence though a rigid and forced sence I must confesse the sentence may be said to be just for although there was no single personall fact proved against me which made me guilty of Treason yet my facts being they say of a continued time and complicated nature I cannot deny but upon the whole matter they have by rigid collections and strained consequences hookt me within the generall clause of the Act of August the second 1650. To abett countenance or incourage the Scotish Nation or the Forces adhering to them which is declared to be Treason There was no Act but this could reach me and no particular clause in this Act but these generall words of abetting countenancing or incouraging the Scotish Nation or the Forces adhering to them for which I was condemned I do not deny but I might in a sort be brought under some of these generall words if the Members of the High Court would put a harsh and rigid interpretation as they have done upon what was proved against me they might have put a more candid and faire interpretation upon what was proved against me if they had not been led more by Interest than by Conscience they might have saved their Oathes and my life too I believe some of them said in their Consciences at least we find no cause of death in this man but others mighty say as the Iewes to Pilate you are no friends to Caesar you are no friends to the State if you condemne not this man to dye Others of them haply may through blindnesse and partiality be so bound up in their Consciences as Herod was that he must cut off Iohn Baptist's head for his Oath sake so forsooth because they had sworne to execute justice upon all that came before them according to those Acts they by forced inferences and tortured collections bringing me under one clause of the Act of August 2. 1650. thought they were bound by their Oathes to condemn me so to avoid the appearance of perjury they commit murther as Herod did in cutting off Iohn Baptist's head pretending that he should break his Oath if Iohn Baptist did not lose his head Fourthly Though I should grant the sentence to be just according to their rigid inferences and strained and forced collections yet I do not by such no nor yet by any acknowledgment of mine absolutely justifie the sentence To clear this in a few words take notice a sentence may be said to be just in a two-fold sence or consideration First In an absolute sence Secondly In a respective or relative sence and Consideration F●rst A sentence is then said to be just in an absolute sence in the generall when for the substance of it it is such that no injustice can be charged upon that is when it hath all those requisites and ingredients that are required to and are necessary for the making up such a sentence and they are chiefly these three First That the Law or Lawes which are proceeded by be for the matter and substance of them consonant and agreeable at least unto generall rules of Scripture Secondly That the Ministers of those Lawes be such who are Lawfully designed and deputed to the management and exercise of them And thirdly That in their sentence they walke by and proceed according to the substantiall rules and directions given them in those lawes and where these three things concurre to a sentence it may be said to be just in an absolute consideration and when it misseth it in any of these it cannot truly and rightly bear the domination of such a sentence now that the sentence past upon me was a just sentence in this absolute consideration I have not and I hope never shall acknowledge But then secondly A Sentence may be said to be just in a respective or relative consideration that is as it hath reference to and respects those Lawes which are the rise and foundation of it Now though a Sentence should misse it in the two first respects of a Sentence absolutely just that is though the Lawes proceeded by should be vitious for the matter of them and the Ministers of them Vsurpers that have no right nor title to the exercise either of those or any other Laws yet if their proceedings be such as that the Sentence being laid to the line and weighed in the ballance of those Lawes shall be found in any sence yea though a strained and forced sence to be a sentence according to and that holds proportion with those Laws or any other Clause or Clauses of them in this sence and so far the Sentence may be said to be just just not simply and absolutely but only in reference and relation to those Lawes And when I acknowledge the Sentence to be just I understand it in this sence viz. according to their rigid and forced inferences from their unjust and cruell Lawes Object If it be demanded what was the reason that I refused formerly to mention a word about the justice of the Sentence in any sence yet afterwards do it Sol. I shall give you a brief and I hope satisfactory account to both parts of this Question I shall first give you the reasons why I formerly refused to speake a word about the justice of the sentence then give you reasons why I did speak something

also that no addresses to them will be received by them unlesse the titles they assume to themselves be given them by those who make applications to them Having thus spoken to justifie the lawfulnesse of the titles of my Petitions I come now to justifie the matter of my Petitions Before I speak to the matter of my Petitions positively I shall in a word declare negatively what was not the matter of my Petitions as 1. I did not promise to act any thing for the promoting and maintaining this present Government that had been equivalent to taking the engagement 2. I did not promise to joyne with the present power to oppose the Scotish Army though I was often sollicited to it 3. I did not declare that for which I was condemned was a sin against God I am of the sam● mind I was when at the High Court after I had my sentence I said Though they Condemned me yet God and my owne Conscience did not Condemne me they Condemned me for Treason yet my Conscience did not tell me that it was a sinne against God which they counted Treason I confessed it was a transgression of their Lawes but no transgression of any command of God In my first Petition I have these words That I lay my mouth in the dust that there may be hope that the Lord will pardon his manifold iniquities and that your Honours will passe by his offences contrary to your Lawes In my second Petition I have these words through unadvisednesse and weaknesse he is fallen under your sad and heavy displeasure and hath offended against the Lawes of this Common-wealth In my third there is no mention of sinne at all In my fourth Petition there is this passage The consideration whereof melteth the heart of your Petitioner and makes him after a more narrow search of his heart and wayes more deeply sensible than ever of his sinne against God and more sorrowfull for his crimes and offences against the Parliament in his late and great miscarriages In all which passages I have not renounced the righteousnesse of the cause for which I suffer nor acknowledged the thing it selfe to be sinfull which I still maintaine as justifiable and can say with the Apostle Happy is he that condemneth not himselfe in the thing which he alloweth 4. I did not in my Petition justifie the acts upon which I was condemned to be righteous nor the Court to be legall I do publickly protest against the former to be most unrighteous unmercifull and severe Lawes as Draco's written in blood and have before the High Court protested against the latter that they were not a leagall Court of judicature to judge me for my life therefore I did earnestly plead it was my birthright to have a jury my duty to demand it though their pleasure to deny it 5. I did not absolutely justifie the sentence of the High Court I had rather patiently undergoe the sentence than absolutely to justifie it I must confesse through advice of Lawyers and earnest solicitatious of friends I did in my last Petition after a sort and in some sence say the Sentence was just in what sence I shall by and by shew My words are these He humbly acknowledgeth he hath so highly violated the Lawes of the Commonwealth as that thereby he hath rendred himselfe guilty of the sentence of death justly past upon him by the high Court of Iustice In which words first I do not justifie their Lawes nor secondly the Legality of the Court thirdly nor the sufficiency of the testimony of the Witnesses There did not any two Witnesses evidence any one fact against me that was treason by their new Acts and that some Members of the High Court have confest unto me Having spoken Negatively what was not the matter of my Petitions I now come to speake positively what was the matter of my Petitions wherein I have said or done nothing contrary to Conscience or my former principles The matter of my Petitions containes three parts first the Narratory part secondly the Promissory part thirdly the Petitionary part At the last none can be offended unlesse such as thirsted after my blood in that I did but begge a grant of my life that I might bee rescued from going downe into the Grave None can justly blame mee for begging my life from any who have my life in the power of their hands I neede not speak to that But the two former parts of my Petitions viz. the narratory and promissory parts require more to be spoken concerning them As touching the Narratory part I shall begin with the first Petition the narratory part runs thus Most humbly sheweth Your Petitioner having received the sentence of Death by the High Court of Justice is preparing himself in all humility and serious submission to drink that bitter cup the terrour whereof though much abated through the pardoning mercies of God in the blood of sprinkling yet your Petitioner being brought down to the dust of Death desires to see the righteous Lord in this Sentence acknowledging it to be just with the the most High to cut him off both in the midst of his dayes and the midst of his Ministry but desires to be deeply humbled under the mighty hand of God lying low before the Lord and you putting his mouth in the dust that there may be hope that the Lord will pardon his manifold Iniquities and that your Honours would passe by his offences done contrary to your Laws which as he formerly did so still doth confesse renders him faulty for which he is unfeignedly sorry your Petitioner goeth not about to plead excuse but with an humble submission prostrates himself at your feet acknowledging he hath offended against the acts of this Commonwealth and thereby is fallen under your sore displeasure of which he is very deeply sensible and sorrowfull also This is all the narratory part which I hope offends no sober minde nor Christian ear it offends some I have said no more it offends none I hope that I have said so much I desire to give you a few things to observe out of these words in my first Petition 1. I said I desire to see the righteous Lord in this Sentence I doe acknowledge God to be righteous what ever men are in all that is brought upon me he is righteous should a worse Sentence than Death passe upon me 2. I do acknowledge it to be just with the most High to cut me off both in the midst of my dayes and in the midst of my Ministery I doe not say it is just with men they shall answer for what they have done but it is just with God he is just in mens injustice and righteous in mens unrighteousnesse 3. I say in my Petition That I desire to be deeply humbled under the mighty hand of God lying low before the Lord and you putting his mouth in the dust if there may be hope that God will pardon his manifold Iniquities and