Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	holy_a	lord_n	work_n	7,405	5	5.2371	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B02386	The lawyers looking-glass: or, A cleer discovery of the dangerous snares, wherewith the practicers of law endeavour to entangle Your Highness, and to make you the patron of their injustice, and oppression, and so to lead you as the blinde ship-money judges led the late blinde king into a ditch; which God forbid. Together with some seasonable preparatives to remedy this great evill: for the glory of God, Your Highnesses honour, and the peace and welfare of these nations: and, all Gods people both ministers of the gospel, and members of the army, and others: specially in and about the cities of London, and Westminster, are earnestly desired (as they will answer it at the great day of account) to speak words in season, and otherwise use their best endeavours to strengthen the hands of Your Highness and councel in carrying on the work of the Lord against the mighty.	Corbet, Jeffrey.; Pitt, Edward fl. 1655.	1655 (1655)	Wing C6245; ESTC R171535	6,294	10

THE LAWYERS Looking-glass OR A cleer Discovery of the Dangerous Snares wherewith the Practicers of Law endeavour to entangle Your Highness and to make you the Patron of their Injustice and Oppression and so to lead you as the blinde Ship-money Judges led the late blinde King into a Ditch Which God forbid TOGETHER With some seasonable preparatives to remedy this great evill For the glory of GOD Your Highnesses Honour and the Peace and Welfare of these Nations AND All Gods People both Ministers of the Gospel and Members of the Army and others specially in and about the Cities of London and Westminster are earnestly desired as they will answer it at the great day of Account to speak words in season and otherwise use their best endeavours to strengthen the hands of Your Highness and Councel in carrying on the Work of the Lord against the Mighty LONDON Printed for Jeffery Corbet Febr. 20. 1655. The Lawyers Looking-Glasse May it please your Highnesse THe Spirit saith Do justly love mercy loose the bands of wickedness undoe the heavy burthens let the oppressed go free and break every yoke And Let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream And Execute ye judgment and righteousness and deliver the spoiled out of the hands of their oppressors And To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord then sacrifice And Justice exalts a Nation and the work of Justice shall be Peace Mic. 6.8 Isa 58.6 Amos 5.24 Ierem. 22.3 Prov. 14.34 Isa 32.17 And Any Cause for Debt or other Civil difference may be speedily heard and determined in weekly Courts of Equity in the several Counties and cost the people little or nothing according to the practise in the Court of Requests London which sits twice a week in Guild-Hall by vertue of a good Law made in the 3d. year of King Iames and the 15th chapter and according to the late practise in every County in Ireland where the Justices of Peace did by Comission hear and determine thousands of Causes and put the people to little or no charge the Defendant being warned to appear by strict Summons without any chargeable disgracefull or vexatious Arrests or imprisonment and both parties having liberty to plead their own Causes But the practisers of Law turn Justice and Judgment into Gall and Wormwood and extort vast treasures from the people by delay and obstruction of justice And it is most clear That the various sorts of Writs Sheriffs fees Bailiffs fees Bail fees Attorneys fees Solicitors fees Prothonotaries fees Secondaries fees Registers fees Clerks fees Lawyers fees Gaolers fees with multitude of such like are meerly chargeable impertinent and vexatious inventions to delay justice and dishonour God and pick the peoples pockets And those proceedings differ no more from absolute Robbery then Hypocrisie doth from open Prophaness for Theeves take mens money by several wayes of stealing and the practisers of Law by exacting their wages of unrighteousness And that which is worst of all they endeavour to make your Highnes● the Patron of all their fraudulent devices as the Ordinance for alteration of Names and Forms doth witness 2. The Spirit saith He that stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor he shall cry and shall not be heard And Wo unto them that decree unrighteous Decrees to turn aside the Needy from Judgment and take away the Right from the poor of my people that Widdows may be their prey and that they may rob the Fatherless And As a roaring Lion and a raging Bear so is a wicked Ruler over the poor people Pro. 21.13 Isa 10.1 2. Prov. 28.15 And the practisers of Law have the cryes of your poor oppressed people continually in their ears yet are they like the deaf Adder and commonly make a prey of the Widdow and Fatherless and many Causes have depended in the Courts at Westminster some 10. some 20. yeares some more some less by the Lawyers purposed delays of justice for their own sinister ends to the utter undoing of the oppressed people Moreover the multitude of unrighteous Decrees Judgments Orders Rules and other proceedings upon Record in the Courts at Westminster will clearly demonstrate That the practisers of Law are in combination to obstruct Justice and oppress the oppressed with cunning pretences of Law and Equity and that which is worst of all they surprize and induce your Highness to be at above 20000 l. a year charge in maintaining them to be like Lions and Bears to rend and tear your poor people in pieces 3. The Spirit saith Hatred variance wrath and strife are damnable sins and The love of money is the root of all evil and The getting of treasure with a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death and Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord and He that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight Gal. 5.20 1 Tim. 6.10 Prov. 21.6 Prov. 12.22 Psal 101 7. Nevertheless the practisers of Law for love of money do encourage the people to persevere in the damnable sins of hatred variance wrath and strife and they are accustomed to toss lies to and fro for filthy lucre sake and to call good evil and evil good and their custome in telling lies speaks them in no capacity to tarry in your sight But they ought rather to be an abomination to your Highness as they are to the Holy One of Israel 4. The Spirit saith Thou shalt provide out of all the people able men such as fear God men of truth hating covetousness and let them judge the people at all seasons and Judges and Officers shalt thou make thee and they shall judge the people with righteous Judgment and shall take no reward and The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them for they refuse to do judgment and Can the Aethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots then may yee also do well that are accustomed to do evil Exod. 18.21 22. Deut. 16.18 19. Pro. 21.7 Ier. 13.23 And the foregoing particulars intimate that the Spirit levels at such persons as Judges and other practisers of Law under the notion of wicked refusing to do judgment and that their various sorts of Fees and other Law charges are Robery in the Spirits account and that through their custome in such Robbery and refusing to do judgment they are in no capacity to do good much less are they capable of being Judges or other publick Officers 5. The Spirit saith One Achan brought the fierce wrath of the Lord upon Israel and One Haman had well nigh confounded Ahasuerus and his 127 Provinces and God abhors solemn Fasts and other transactions and counts them but tything Mint and Cummin where judgment and righteousness is neglected and Because sentence upon an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evil Ios 7.19 Esth. 389. Isa 1.11 to 18. Amos 5.21 Mat. 23.23 Luke 11.43 Eccles 8.11

Exchequer Besides the complainings in our streets would cease and your Government be sweetned with acts of Justice and Mercy In order whereunto I humbly beseech your Highness to recollect and seriously lay to heart the various cross Providences you have met withall since you was Protector That your forces fled and fell before a shadow And that not onely your open enemies have conspired under Oath of secresie to destroy you but those who were your faithful friends all along the Wars have been and are still at variance with you And that The Spirit saith when a mans ways please the Lord he maketh even his Enemies to be at peace with him And When the Host goeth forth then keep thee from every evill work And Have no fellow ship with the unfruitful works of darkness I humbly beseech your Highness further to consider That holy Moses did not leave a hoof in bondage and holy Ioshua brought Achan to publike justice the same day he was discovered And Holy Iob searched out the Cause he knew not And Holy David made haste and delayed not to keep Gods Commandements And That Saul lost his Kingdome and the late King his by delaying such obedience And that He that doth righteousness is righteous And that The Scribes and Pharisees said but did not And that Your Highness declared in April 1653. That no oppression or wrong should be done the people And that If you should do the least dishonour to the name of God it would be your confusion and a stain to the whole profession of Godliness And lastly I humbly beseech your Highness to consider That your breath is in your nosthrils and that you have many talents to improve and that this night your soul may be taken from you and that you must appear before Christs tribunal to give an Account of your Stewardship And that all your Honours and earthly enjoyments are but vanity and will be bitterness in the end unless God give you wisedome from above to let your light shine that men may glorifie God on sight of your good works of judgement and righteousness Now the Lord make you wise unto salvation and guide your spirit to redeem the time and not to know a wicked person nor suffer any worker of deceipt to dwell in your House nor a Liar to tarry in your sight In pursuance whereof your Highness shall not want the daily prayers and constant endeavours of Your Highnesses faithful Servant JEFFERY CORBET Reasons moving that your Highness would appoint twelve men at the least who are of known courage fearing God and hating coveteonsness to be Commissioners in the intended Commission for Discoveries of concealed Estates 1 WE the Subscribers do hereby engage to produce and prosecute such discoveries as will bring in above sixty thousand pounds into the publike treasury within six moneths upon the appointment of such Commissioners 2 The Commonwealth hath already lost above 100000. l. by the death of Concealers or Discoverers or Witnesses as Collonel Copley and others can give an account and there is great danger that much more will be lost unless such a number of Commissioners be speedily empowered for prevention of that great mischief 3 Your Highness is in great want of money for managing your Publike Affairs and many of your faithful friends are ready to perish for want of their just debts from the Commonwealth and there is no better way to supply both then by bringing in the vast Treasures that are concealed 4 Twelve such Commissioners may divide themselves and keep three or four Courts a day and so dispa●ch more business in three moneths then a single Court can do in a whole year 5 The delatory proceedings which must needs be in a single Court upon the multitude of Discoveries ready to be made will give the Delinquents an opportunity to make friends and parties to obstruct Justice as formerly by bribery c. as Captain Castle and others can give an accompt and also Your Highnesses most humble and faithful Servants JEFFERY CORBET EDWARD PITT 1. Jan. 1655. We humbly conceive That Col. Iohn Mill Major Beak Lieut. Col. Iohn Fenton Major George Withers Capt. Edw. Worger and Samuel Richardson are persons fitly qualified And therefore pray that they may be joyned in the Commission intended for the foresaid Discoveries The foregoing Reasons were presented to a Member of the Councel the day above mentioned as a seasonable New years guift for your Highness and Councel FINIS

And wofull experience witnesseth that the practisers of Law have from age to age been the Achans and Hamans of this Land and confounded the Powers who are fallen before your Highness and now endeavour to surprize and induce you to use that Power to obstruct which God hath given you to expedite Justice and because they go unquestioned and unpunished therefore their hearts are fully set in them to do evil Upon which account they surprized your Highness and Councel during your multiplicity of other publick affairs so as to admit of no Exception against any man that was elected for the last Parliament they knowing well that their incapacity of being Members would otherwise have been laid open in regard your Highness's righteous Principles expressed in the Instrument declare That none but men fearing God and of good conversation should be Members of Parliament and their constant practise in delaying and obstructing justice and turning it to gall and wormwood and making a prey of the widdows and fatherless and rending and tearing the poor people in pieces and tossing lies to and fro out of meer covetousness which is Idolatry and the like do witness That they are so far from fearing God that they cast his commands behind their backs and say by their actions Who is the Lord that we should obey him And that which is worst of all As the Ship-money Judges and other Lawyers and their complices were the grand Incendiaries of the late bloudy Wars and confounded the late King some going away with him and others staying in the long Parliament to play the Kings Game whereby they poysoned that Parliaments Councels and at last confounded them even so the practisers of Law and their complices made parties to confound your Highness in the last Parliament And those practisers of Law that pretended most to be your friends sate 5 moneths and made not one good Law to cause Justice and Judgment to run down like a mighty stream to reconcile this divided and discontented people and confirm your Highness's establishment in righteousness 6. The Spirit saith Money answereth all things and Our blessed Saviour wrought a miracle for want of money to pay Tribute to the Supream Magistrate and Souldiers be content with your wages Eccles 10.19 Mat. 17.27 Luke 3.14 Nevertheless the practisers of Law and their complices to discontent your Souldiers and keep your Highness in want of money and open the mouths of publick-faith persons and others to exclaim against you have many moneths obstructed a Commission for Discoveries whereby above 200000 l. might have been brought into your Highness's Treasury before this time without the least trouble to your Highness or Councel And though a sufficient Commission was drawn up many weeks since with great deliberation and good advice yet that Commission is obstructed in some Lawyers hands to this day Mean while contrivances have been had to confer that power upon Lawyers who have not time to do the work or others who have no will to the work or upon so few as no good can be expected from them when as many persons whose names are related in the Reasons following are ready to serve your Highness gratis rather then this good work should fail Moreover the delay already hath lost your Highness above 100000 l. by the death of Concealers or Discoverers or Witnesses and many hundred thousand pounds more is in danger to be lost and hundreds of people who have debts justly due from the Commonwealth by Publick faith and otherwise are some of them gone already and others ready to go with sorrow to their Graves through want of satisfaction to the great dishonour of God and your Highness and the Commonwealth 7. The Spirit saith Take all opportunities for doing good And Abstain from all appearance of evil And Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness And with hold not good from them to whom it is due when it is in the power of thy hand to do it And Woe to that man by whom the offence cometh And Neglect to strengthen the hands of the poor and needy was one of the sins of Sodom which cried to heaven for vengeance Gal. 6.10 Heb. 13.16 1 Thes 5.22 Prov. 3.27 Matth. 18.7 Ezek. 16.49 Gen. 18.20 But the practicers of Law do commonly justifie the wicked and condemn the innocent both which are an abomination to the Lord. Yea they take all opportunities to justifie the wicked for a reward and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him And that which is worst of all they take advantage from the multiplicity of your Highnesses Publike affairs and surprize and induce your Highness to withhold good from your oppressed people in neglecting to strengthen their hands by appointing Commissioners to deliver them from their oppressors And thus a great offence cometh by the practicers of Law and they wilfully incur that dreadful woe to uphold their gainful trade of sin For many persons are ready and willing to sit daily and serve your Highness and their Countrey gratis to hear and redress the complaints of oppressed people against whom Justice hath been obstructed in the Courts of Common Law and Equity and other places But the practicers of Law knowing well that such Commissioners would soon lay open their mystery of Iniquity designedly say your Highness must not exercise the Legislative power Notwithstanding they know That the safety of the people is the supream Law And that Necessity brings a priviledge with it And that your Highness hath bound your self by Oath to cause Justice and Law to be equally administred And to make Lawes and Ordinances for the Peace and welfare of the People until order shall be taken in Parliament concerning the same as by the 30. Article in the Instrument appears And this cleerly intimates That where Parliaments and inferiour Magistrates fail your Highness stands bound by your Oath to supply and the last Parliament met and made not one good Law for the Peace and welfare of the People whereby it is apparently a duty still incumbent upon your Highness May it therefore please your Highness to Commissionate all the Field Officers and Captains of your Army to be Justices of Peace in every County where they are ordered to quarter and to empower them and the rest of the Justices to keep weekly Courts of Equity in the most convenient place in every County to hear and determine all civil differences according to Equity and good Conscience And to call to their assistance one or two of the ablest Lawyers near them for advice in difficult cases Please likewise to grant the foresaid Commission for discoveries and seriously consider the reasons following in order thereunto Please further to empower some persons of integrity to hear and redress all obstructions of Justice And by so doing God will be greatly glorified your Highness highly honoured and acquitted from much trouble and clamour and the oppressed will be set free and vast Treasures brought into your