Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	employ_v	government_n	great_a	67	3	2.1579	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89952	Reasons why the supreme authority of the three nations (for the time) is not in the Parliament, but in the new-established Councel of State, consisting of His Excellence the Lord General Cromvvel, and his honourable assessors. Written in answer to a letter sent from a gentleman in Scotland to a friend of his in London. To which is added the letter it self.	C. N.	1653 (1653)	Wing N6; Thomason E697_19; ESTC R202945	18,691	32

the hands whereby is brought a wholesome Potion to purge the brain for the safety of the whole body If the Reasons have not as yet been made known it is because of those worthy Gentlemen's being employed about matters of greater moment their 's being the practical so fitter for Government and that of others but Speculative which grounded meerly upon an aerial discourse of Laws of aquum of bonum or other such-like specious things proving for the most part or rather always in such spirits as are not bent on action but common and general notions do never produce any considerable thing which defect is not to be found in my Lord General nor the Officers of his Army You say they are not so literate as those of the Parliament I say For any thing you know they are but albeit they were not it is not much matter so they be positively good and comparatively better then such as are more learned which I trust they are for with so much knowledge as is fitting they are endowed and in stead of superfluous additions of Literature they make a serious application of the skill they have wherewith they are qualified in a competent measure to the perfect accomplishment of the most commendable actions It is not he who makes the best definition of Vertue that is therefore the most vertuous man The best Divines are not the godlyest persons nor were there any Lawyers in the Golden age Subtilty in circumstances trivial quirks and curious researches in sub-distinguishing of abstracted flimflam-notions help very much to cry up men to the title of good Scholars in the estimation of frothy Wits That we have men powerful and such as are good to rule over us is all we should desire and if by misfortune we were necessitated to make election of one alone of those qualities it were better in my opinion our Governours were destitute of goodness then that they lacked power for good men without power would but leave us to the spoil of every body whose wickedness they are not able to suppress and abandon us as stubble before the fire to those would bring us to a sudden utter desolation but so they have power although otherwise they be bad enough they will in all probability protect us against both forraign and domestick Invasions were it to no other end but to prey upon us themselves which nevertheless they will be loth to do with too great extremity because by those means not being able to do it long they would by injuring others but weaken themselves and so at last abstain from it out of the meer motive of self-love If Power be thus much to be preferred when it goeth fingle which I speak in favour of the Souldiery Why then should not the Officers of the Army have their due pre-eminence above any other seeing besides the sacred power that is in their hands they are the greatest paterns of Piety and examples of Goodness that the world affordeth It is absolute and uncontrollable say you and therefore dangerous I answer you If an absolute power must rest somewhere in every government according to the doctrine of the best politicians it can in my opinion abide in no more convenient place then its own Sphere What earthquakes happen and violent concussion of things of great weight even by what to our seeming is of far less moment when they are debarred the liberty of working about their own center as air or fire inclosed when either of them appetes an expansion Though other States now adayes be not governed so what then all States are not governed after one way nor Monarchies neither because the different inclinations of those that have the power make what is unjust in one place to be accounted elsewhere just and yet possibly there may be latitude enough for justice in both Was not the body of the Israelites an Army led under the conduct of their General Moses who albeit he admitted of elders to ease him of a burthen yet did not any acknowledge the Supreme Authority to lye in them Would you in Scotland be like the Iews in their convenanting and yet disagree from them in that wherein did consist their greatest honor There is in Scotland as I conceive it no other kind of native but Cavalier or Presbyterian and seeing this latter one thrust out the master of that other these others will in my opinion be content to be ruled by those that did protect them against the Malignancy of their competitors if the other party be not pleased with it I must think certainly that it is upon a ground more destructive to that country such as to have the Ministery to over-master it and all the people implicitely tyed to have their dark faiths pin'd on those mens black sleeves although most of them for covetousness cruelty and oppression be equal to the most corrupt of the laity You are afraid that by this change Scotland shall be more in slaved then ever I must confess it hath not that shew of liberty which it had in the dayes of Malcolm Kianmore but taking it in general some few persons only excepted that squeezed the rest the Egyptian bondage was hardly greater then that which it endured under Presbytery whose yoak in that Nation becoming lighter as the power of the English increased therein though not altogether taken off because of the supposed prevalency which some of the Presbyterially-affected Members of the late dissolved House had over the counsels of the prime rulers there you have now just reason to thank God that by this change you are like to be relieved out of the jaws of so wild a monster and freed from that Knoxian slavery which made you miserable within your selves and despicable unto all the other Nations of the World Nor needeth any of you to grudge at his being constrained when it shall so happen to submit no longer to the supreme discipline of the Kirk seeing the taking of such a coercive course is to use no more violence then when one is hindred from prosecuting his own ruine and yet I think the Commonwealth of England is not able to provide you with Governours that shall be more tender in laying of burthens upon your consciences then my Lord General and those select Officers of his Army under whose command you are who are all of them haters of contentious divinity and the forcing of mens minds to embrace unknown opinions and who having done so great matters both in England and Ireland will be now I hope very careful not to eclipse their reputation by misusing Scotland And although there should be found in it some discrepancy in matters of faith from the upright and true one yet so long as those opinions break not out into action and do onely hover about things concerning another world there is no doubt but that they will acknowledge how without the help of man or any need of his coacting power God hath a way of his