Selected quad for the lemma: state_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
state_n	council_n	lord_n	precedent_n	1,048	5	9.0332	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31459	The life and death of that holy and reverend man of God, Mr. Thomas Cawton ... with severall of his speeches and letters, while in exile, for his loyalty to the Kings Most Excellent Majesty : to which is annexed a sermon preach'd by him at Mercers Chappel, Febr. 25. 1648 ... : published with the approbation of several of his brethren, ministers of the Word in London.	Cawton, Thomas, 1637-1677.	1662 (1662)	Wing C1653; ESTC R36292	43,772	96

was at length brought to hearken after a place to serve Gods Church in at London and his intentions being made known he was quickly called to the Parish of Bartholomews behind the Royall Exchange the main instrument of his settlement in that living was Sir Harbottle Grimstone who at that time dwelt in the same Parish and was his exceeding good friend In London it pleased God he had his health farr better than at Wivenho and quite lost the ague he was used to have twice a year all the while he was there His health did not a little encourage him to his former painfulness in the work of the Ministry in which he now laboured more abundantly than ever he was more carefull of himself than ever knowing he had now more eyes observing him than ever and that the sins of Teachers were Teachers of sins he was well acquainted with the meaning of the Ceremony Lev. 8. 24. where Moses put the bloud on the lap of the Priests right ear on the thumb of their right hand and on the great toe of their right foot Ministers must hear work and walk right and therefore he dayly went out and in before his people as an ensample to the flock the very profane of the Parish would say they believed Mr. Cawton did really believe what he preached when they were ready to bark and snarl at others and say of them as one said of vicious Ministers that when they are in the Pulpit it 's pity they should ever come out they are so good in their Instructions when out of the Pulpit it 's pity they should ever come in again they are so bad in their conversations Having preached some time he began to resume his old Theme of opposing Heresies which crept in a pace into the Kingdom He proved a true Malleus Haereticorum and a ●lagellum errorum when he had preached so zealously against the Sectaries that his friends were afraid they would have dragg'd him out of the Pulpit he would say I am set for the defence of the Gospel and am resolved with Gods assistance to contend earnestly for the Faith In the year 1648. the February after King Charls the first of glorious memory was most inhumanly and unnaturally beheaded he was desired by the Mayor of the City then in being to Preach before him and his Brethren the Aldermen of London at Mercers Chappel on the 25. of that Month which he undertook and accordingly performed In his Prayer as he thought it his duty he prayed for our Legall Sovereign and the Royal Family In his Sermon he laid nothing before his Auditory but Gospel-truths but limiting of Souldiers too much as they thought to the Divine rule and shewing them how in their places they ought to adorn the Gospel which was a thing too precise for them that could violently do any thing he was much threatned by them swearing they would molest him as soon as he had done but God so restrained them that they were hindred in their design at that time he did in his Sermon glance at mens pretending an impulse of spirit and thinking the success of their cause was an evidence of its goodness and in severall expressions did much cross the sectaries and King-killers of that time I have added the heads of that Sermon as full as he writ them to this narrative hoping they will not be unwelcome to the world For that time he escaped the hands of unreasonable men or rather the paws of roaring Lions and raving Wolves but not long after having a fast at his own Church and he concluding the day there was a warrant procured by some malicious sectaries and Soldiers that had given information of what they had heard at Mercers Chappel stiling his preaching there seditious summoning him to appear before the Councill of State it might well be called a Councill of Estate for they consulted much together how to take away men estates if not lives when he had concluded the fast the warrant brought by some Red-coats was presented to him in the very Church so greedy they were of their prey the warrant ran thus These are to will and require you forthwith upon sight hereof to make speedy repair into any such place where you shall understand the Person of Mr. Thomas Cawton to be who preached before the Lord Mayor yesterday and him you are to apprehend and bring in safe custody before the Councill of State for seditious preaching hereof you are not to fail and for so doing this shall be your sufficient Warrant Given at Derby House the twenty sixth day of February 1648. Signed in the name and by the Order of the Council of State appointed by Authority of Parliament Arthor Hesilrige President To Rowland Hawkard and Richard Freeman Messengers attending the Council of State and to all the rest of the Messengers attending the said Council A true Copy of a Warrant directed to me from the Council of State the 26. of February 1648. per me Row Hawkard Messenger This Warrant was issued out the very next day after his Sermon but came not to him till the second of March when he had looked on it he told them without any alteration in Countenance or mind he would go along with them only desired them to go with him to his house that he might take something to refresh himself having fasted all the day this they though unwillingly assented to and they were followed with whole multitudes of people which thronged about the house crying out against their unjust dealings to see him go with the Soldiers having refreshed himself and prayed he sent for a Coach and with unparallel courage and cheerfulness taking a friend or two with him went to the Councel of Estates though the Warrant was only for Seditious Preaching yet when he came before them they had nothing to lay to his charge but those words in his Prayer for our LEGAL SOVEREIGN and the ROYAL FAMILY He told them he came to answer for a seditious Sermon not for his Prayer according to their Warrant but they satisfyed him no other way than by telling him he had proclaimed the King and that was high treason according to an Act of their own making which made all loyalty Treason when they themselves were the Traytors Hereupon that compleat Hypocrite Oliver Cromwell did with extremity of indignity severity admonish and command him to recant of what he had said but Mr. Cawton no whit daunted by his proud insolent carriage was Mr. Cawton still semper idem and told him If I have done any thing not becoming a Minister of the Gospel I hope I should be willing to recant and that was all they could get from him which they taking as a contempt of their Authority made it an aggravation of his crime and ordered that he should be kept in safe custody that night Their Janizaries carried their Captive to the Irish harp in Kings-street Westminster and there kept him prisoner till

the next day and then he was again brought before them and asked whether he was not sorry for what he had said he replyed as before he had done nothing but what did become a Minister of the Gospel and more they could not wring from him by all their menaces and subtile captious questions and therefore seeing all they could do was in vain to move this rock they thought delaying was but dallying and that no argument would prevail but a Prison to make him recant wherefore they agreed to send him to the Gate-house in Westminster and immediately drew up a commitment which was as follows These are to will and require you forthwith upon sight hereof to take into your custody the body of Thomas Cawton clerk and him safely keep in your Prison of the Gatehouse he being committed for Treason against the late Act of Parliament of which you are in no wise to fail and for so doing this shall be your sufficient warrant Given at Derby-House this third day of March 1648. Signed in the name and by order of the Council of State appointed by Authority of Parliament R. Denbigh Preses pro tempore To the Keeper of the Gate-house or to his Deputy Hereupon he was carried to the Gate-house and there imprisoned during the time he was there his confinement did not in the least abate his confidence which had great reward one affliction had fitted him for another and the cross was to him but coticula fidei the whetstone of faith he could not see any new light in a Prison much less timorously petition a viperous brood of Usurpers but did even then declare to all that came to him his stedfastness in and faithfulness to his former proceedings many temptations he had to spare himself as a sorrowfull Wife bigg with child six small children to provide for a good living in danger of being lost but with a holy cruelty and contempt he denyed them all that he might deny God nothing He spent almost half a year in Prison so exemplarily that his life seemed to those that came to him no less than a miracle able to convert Infidels it was a Heaven on earth nay Heaven in a Prison to be in his company It will be worth my pains and thy patience to take a view of those graces that did shine most radiantly in his sufferings and here a great cloud of witnesses both Ministers and private Christians and mine own observation do present me with six sparkling Diamonds which so dazled the eyes of his visitants that all admired him for them 1. His sincerity this was the corner stone of all his other graces he gave so many evident demonstrations of this that it was as visible as if he had a casement in his breast opened for every one to gaze into his heart he that ran might read that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 truth in the inward parts it was written in so legible a character in his outward practises A Reverend Minister of London lately deceased said on his death bed Mr. Cawtons Crown was his sincerity indeed he walked in a plain path and made streight steps in that plain path he abhorred crooked ways and would many times say though we cannot be perfect yet we may be sincere again he used to say that carnall policy would render religion despicable at last though some men did take a great deal of liberty to equivocate and daub over their wickedness yet it would prove but untempered mortar he observed that the strongest faith was in the purest conscience He had his loins gird about with truth and his heart armed a● well as adorned with uprightness sincerity was an ingredient in every one o● his actions and sufferings and the chief cordiall that comforted his spirits and kept them from drooping his conscience bore witness that his sufferings were purely and meerly for God and his Cause and tha● kept him from fainting fits in his work He would speak much against half Christians that served God with a secret reserve and for the loaves He could serve God for nought and thought his sincerity wa● nought that could not serve God for nought He was so far from having any design of hi● own in his suffering that he was of Nazianzeus excellent temper to thank God he had any thing to lose for Christ He could not subject his heart to his head his conscience to his policy or as one speaks make a hole in his conscience to keep a whole skin he could not lose well-living to keep his Living and life in a word his rejoycing was this the testimony of his conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God he had his convesration in the world 2. He acted Faith to the very life of it and God did try the strength of his Faith as well as the truth of it and found him a faithfull servant that could depend on a bare word of God and think that security enough he would say that they that won't believe unless they see a reason or experience do tacitely imply that God does not speak truth unless he prove it or at least that their faith is more in reason than in God He could confute an eye of sence by an eye of faith and trust providence where he could not trace it Indeed it were nothing to be a believer if every thing were seen here but to put a holy confidence in that unseen power that does so mightily support us that is to believe He promised himself but little from the creature and so was never much deceived by it he could ask himself that question and answer it with the advice of the wise Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Why shouldest thou beg of a begger beg of God are not all things in the hand of God He knew the world could not give that which it had ●ot and therefore would not be a friend ●o that which was never true to any that trusted it He was one that thought he ●ould not expect too much from God nor ●oo little from man it was a note of his ●wn that Christ is more jealous of our faith than ●f our love for he 'l let us believe in nothing ●ut himself though he 'l let us love somthing be●●des him so it be in subornation to him He was a second Gamzu whose speech was what ever befel him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 also this shall be for good according to the counsel of the Rabbin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whatsoever comes from God acquiesce in it and say also this shall be for good He believed that a good God made evils good to Believers in making good his promise that all things should work together for good to them that love God By faith this man of God cheerfully endured imprisonment by faith he left his Wife and children and friends and living and all afterwards as shall