Selected quad for the lemma: state_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	church_n	civil_a	commonwealth_n	1,637	5	9.2456	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88272	Lilburns ghost, with a whip in one hand, to scourge tyrants out of authority; and balme in the other, to heal the sores of our (as yet) corrupt state; or, Some of the late dying principles of freedom, revived, and unvailed, for the lovers of freedome and liberty, peace & righteousness to behold. By one who desires no longer to live then to serve his country		1659 (1659)	Wing L2202; Thomason E988_9; ESTC R208068	6,586	11

LILBVRNS GHOST With a Whip in one hand to scourge Tyrants out of Authority And Balme in the other to heal the Sores of our as yet Corrupt STATE Or Some of the late dying principles of freedom revived and unvailed for the Lovers of Freedome and Liberty peace righteousness to behold By one who desires no longer to live then to serve his Country London Printed for Livewell Chapman at the Crown in Popes-Head-Alley 1659. Lilburns Ghost MUST we continue for ever in the Wilderness and not obtain our Promise viz. the possession of Canaan nor yet return to our Egyptian servitude Surely a Divine Hand hath kept us from our possession and made us know the time was not yet come till the Lord hath cut off the murmuring self-seeking and perfidious Israelites from amongst us the same Hand also hath kept the faithful ones from turning to the Egyptian flesh-pots and forsaking the Cause of God for which we have so long contended How near we are to our desired Haven we cannot precisely fathom or how many of our Civil and Martial Grandees loaded with the ruines and spoils of the People and gorged with pride covetousness self-seeking and all manner of filthiness which can in no wise enter the promised Land must be first thrown by before we come to enjoy our promised and much desired possession time will shortly discover The Lord hath in some measure returned to our Camp and with a strong hand hath thrown down the Mighty from his Throne overthrown his Chariots and put a Bit in the mouth of his unruly and pampered horses and hath raised a spirit among the people to cry up the Cause of God and the liberties of the People both which to our great grief and sorrow had like to have been violently and barbarously buried alive at White hall Rouze your selves O ye Free-born people of England and make it appear that de jure the Original of all just Power and Government is and ought to be in you Be no longer cheated of your right nor let the Parliament and Army saddle you with slavery The Scripture clears the point that you are the Original of all power the Apostle Peter calls it The Ordinance of Man When the murmuring Israelites cryed out for a King God bid Samuel hearken to their voice as if he should have said Let them make use of their natural Rights in making choise of the form of Government and after God had nominated the person he left the confirmation and ratification of the Government to the people to shew that the Right was in them and to that end Samuel calls them together and with shouts and acclamations they proclaim him King an evident Testimony that the validity of the Government depended wholly upon the peoples consent and confirmation And indeed the acts of all Tyrants and Usurpers do evidence the same who to make their Actions as just as they can do alwayes endeavour the consent and ratification of the people and to enter into some compact with them and to establish themselves with a shew of Legality which if seriously considered is a manifest confession of what I here affirm I shall insist no longer upon this subject for I hope we may take it for granted on all sides that the Original of all just power is in the people but proceed to the removal of all such blocks which have lain in the peoples way and hindered them of the possession of their just rights and Liberties 1. The first foundation of Tyranny and hinderance of the peoples just rights is the division of a State into Ecclesiastical and Civil It is true the Commonwealth of Israel was thus constituted by God himself but to say that there is the least ground or reason for such a division under the Gospel or for congregating national Churches to be drawn from the Scripture is more then the Learnedst or Gravest of the Orthodoxal train can produce It is clear that Christ came to put an end to the administration of the Jewish form and to take away the pale which confined the Church to a particular nation that all nations might be taken into the Church I mean here and there a few whom the Lord should chuse his Church now is not National it is not a political but a spiritual Body according to the saying of Christ himself My Kingdom is not of this world This division of State is the right hand of Antichrist which hath built up and nourished the man of sin from an infant to a perfect man and hath in all ages persecuted the people of God and been the cause of mo●● of the blood that hath been shed in the world For whatever Reformation or change happeneth either in Church or State the Clergy can soon transform themselves into that shape joyn Issue with the present power and under pretence of errour and heresie binde men to believe their arbitrary Dictates Traditions Errours and blasphemies or persecute them to the death Therefore O Parliament of England whom the good people are pleased at present to own as the supreme Authority and will do so provided you own them and do their wills and fulfil their intents beware you suffer not the Ecclesiastick power to twist it self with yours but on the contrary to prevent making of parties and factions upon a religious accompt and all broils and jars in the Nation declare to the Nation that yen have nothing to do in matters of Religion as you are the civil Authority labour to make good Laws for the punishing of sin and vice and keeping all men civil peaceable and quiet and let Christ alone with his Church whose work it is not yours 2. Secondly that which hitherto hath smothered our declared-for free-Free-State in the very birth was want of care upon the alteration of Government to hinder the passage of Tyranny out of one form into another the affairs of past ages and nations and not onely so but the late actions in this Commonwealth do fully demonstrate that the interest of Monarchy and its inconveniencies have been fatal to other forms and are undenyable proofs that they may reside in the hands of many as well as in a single person We might here for illustration sake produce the case of Athens after they had laid aside their King the Kingly and Tyrannical power sprang up among their Decimal Governors and their Thirty whom the people commonly called Tyrants and not onely so but crept among the popular form who were elected by the Commonalty for want of a strict watch over them to prevent their acting more for their own then the peoples interest Not much unlike this was the State of Florence the Kingly interest sprang up alwayes in one upstart or other in advancing his ambitious ends stept up into a Kingly posture and robbed the people of their right Even so fared Rome with the Tarquins Consuls Senates Decemviri Triumviri Dictators and Tribunes all whom acted the flagitious enormities of an

absolute Monarchy Setting aside all forreign examples good people of England look at home and O Parliament of England behold your own body have not you cut off Charles and let the King live to this day Consider what is the interest of Monarchy but an unlimited uncontroulable unaccountable station of Power and Authority in the hands of a single Person or Many who govern according to the Dictates of their own will and pleasure If GOD hath so much mercy for you that you now at last prove our Redeemers and Restorers of our Liberties declare for it in a due and orderly succession of Authority in our Supreme Assemblies that Ages to come may have a reverent and noble respect of you as the Founders of our free-Free-State and Commonwealth Thirdly and since to the grief of honest hearts there are many discontented humours in the Nation who endeavour to insinuate themselves into the Body of the Nation to undermine the security of the Commonwealth to gain a share in the government to bring about their corrupt ends great care ought to be had of the composure and complexion of our Representatives And that you may be careful herein pray shut the door and not onely so but stop every crack and cranny to keep out the old and new Malignant out of Authority you must be cautious not onely in excluding the wilde Geese but the tame not onely the old but the new Malignant being full as dangerous as the other There is another tame beast yet more dangerous then the other two viz. the Neutral Laodicean who can live in any Element sail with any wind close with the Malignants or any for his own advantage transform himself into an Angel of light to bring about his deeds of darkness Let not such be named in Elections And good people be not threatned by some or deluded by others to sell your Birth-right for a Mess of Pottage And as you ought to be careful of the persons to be elected so you ought to be as careful of the Persons electing who ought to be such as have made contribution of their purses strength and counsels to manage the Cause for the Liberty and Freedom of the People for in this case those onely ought to be reckoned the people the rest having by a traiterous engagement complyance neutrality or apostacy endeavoured to destroy the people and by consequence have forfeited their Rights and Membership of free people are no longer to be called Patriots but Parties in Faction having acted against the declared Interest of the Common-wealth 4. Fourthly the permitting of the Legislative and Executive power to rest in the same hands and persons is a means suddenly to overthrow a Commonwealth Reason clears it for if the supreme power the Law-makers be also the Administrators and Dispensers of Justice the people would be lost without Remedy in case unjustice be measured unto them for what appeal have we under heaven against those that have the Supremacy For true policie alwayes presupposeth the worst that governors may be unrighteous and therefore in all determinations points at the enormities and remedies of government If I could insist upon Examples the state of most Kingdoms and Commonwealths in the world would evidence the truth of what I here assert but passing by all I come to our own State and the affairs thereof which are fresh in every mans memory The late King who was and ought to have been no more but as Officer in trust to see to the execution of the Laws strained by the ruine of Parliaments to get the Legislative power as well as the Executive into his own hands and whilst he strived for this absolute Tyranny he pulled a swift destruction upon Himself and his Family Oliver Cromwel for his time was a rare Proficient in such projects and for the same instead of it blessed memorie which might have been celebrated for his valiant and bold atchievements he hath left but a stinking savour behinde him in the nostrils of all honest men O Parliament of England have you been free from this enormity in the time of your government Labour to be faithful Patriots to your Country now and lay a foundation upon which the building may stand firm and sure 5. Fifthly There is another rank weed that grows fast and is apt to choak a Free-State whilst it is young and tender and it is called Reason of State by Reason of State here I do not mean the equitable Results of Prudence and right Reason for upon these ought their Determinations to be founded and is the safety of States and Princes by Reason of State I mean that which flows from a corrupt Principle to an indirect End which is the States-mans will and lust when he hath admitted ambition preferment profit revenge c. to be his reason It is a soveraign Commander an important Counsellor it answers all objections and quarrels it makes War and Peace raiseth Taxes cuts off and pardons Offenders treats Embassadors It can say and unsay do and undo make by-wayes high-wayes and what not Many mighty Things it hath done in all ages It was Reason of State that made Pharaoh keep the Israelites in bondage contrary to the commands of GOD It was that made Saul spare Agag and endeavor the ruine of David It made Jeroboam set up his Calves in Dan and Bethel It made A●itophel give counsel to Absalom to defile his Fathers Concubines It made Abner take part with the house of Saul And it caused Joah afterwards to kill him It made Jehu to mingle his own interest with the commands of GOD It made the Jews cry out Crucifie and Pilate to pass sentence It made Richard the Third murther his Nephew It was is that made Henry the Eighth persecute the Protestants and shifting his Religion fell as heavy upon the Papists It made his Daughter Mary fill up the cup of her Fathers iniquities It brought a Scotch Coward to be our King It made his Son the late King endeavour by a bloody war co ruine Religion and Liberty And O Parliament of England it was Reason of State that made you imprison many of the free people for demanding their Rights It made you falsifie your Trust and keep the Liberties of England to your selves It made Oliver Cromwel aspire to the Top of Supremacy It made him leave his power to a Goose instead of a Fox or a Lyon It was Reason of State that made the Grandees of the Army bring you again to the Helm and if you do not now sweep it out of your House and take in the Rule of Honestie it will unavoydably bring Ruine upon you as it hath done upon the afore-named Tyrants 6. Sixthly Breach of Vows and Promises a violation of Faith Principles and Engagements upon every turn of time and advantage is a great errour among Politicians an Enemy to a Free State and an Impiety that ought to be exploded our of all Nations especially such as bear the name