Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A90767
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A plea for moderation.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing P2512A; Thomason E143_7; ESTC R22468
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9,127
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16
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further Plea in behalfe of Common-prayer or a set forme of prayer which is our Church Liturgie I grant that there may be some things in it if the great wisedome of the Parliament so please fit to bee expunged but if this Kingdome should bee so unhappy as to lose such an ornament of her Religion as this for my part I should not grudge to die a Common-prayer Martyr but I shall not wonder if the set prayers of our Church be so sleighted as they are when a number of I know not what sort of people cannot relish the chiefest of prayers the Lords prayer and yet our Saviour in one of the Gospels gives us a plain direction When you pray say Our Father which art in heaven c. And as for the Doctrine of the Church of England grounded upon the infallible Testimonie of Holy writ which a man would blesse himselfe to heare stumbled at I hope none dare bee so impious as argue against it if he be I cannot see how he can avoid Saint Pauls Anathema Now let me apply my Medium to mixt and civill affaires and see if wee can fall into an uno tertio there nay see that if wee fall not there wee are either split or sunke Prerogative admirable in it selfe provided it have its due bounds and limits hath by some beene so expatiated as indeed in their apprehensions it was unfathomed I would those men had either well understood what it was or not understanding it would have been hushed in their own ignorance by a silent humility The liberty of the Subject an excellent strengthening of our meum tuum in the world but by some so diameterly opposed to Prerogative that with them Non bene conveniunt nec in una sedemorantur Majestas libertas I thinke this Common-wealth much happier if they go like Hippocrates twinnes hand in hand And it was a good speech though from a band man I shall beleeve the Divell when he speakes truth This Kingdome will never bee well unlesse there be a right understanding between the King and his people Mordecay's advice to Hester concerning the deliverance of the Jewes hath been mis-applied by diverse for as I take it there was King in the case and that King bowed sued to I hope with us hee shall be esteemed a third Estate in Parliament Rehoboams losse of ten Tribes was a very strange and sudden falling off and seemed for the present an exceeding great blow to Rehoboam himselfe yet wee see no expresse reason alledged in Scripture either in respect of Rehoboams sinne in particular or of the Peoples in generall but the Text saith it was of the Lord neverthelesse those revolting Tribes are plainly charged with rebellion for it and a commendation is given to Judah for sticking close to their true and lawfull Prince Nay see what became of those revolters ever after amongst all their Kings that raigned over them I do not read of one of them that was good whereas Judah had diverse for Jehoram one of the race of the Kings of Judah being wicked had this brand upon him that he walked after the Kings of Israel Nay observe how Abijah the sonne of Rehoboam doth in this very particular taxe Jeroboam with rebellion against his Lord and so having addressed his prayer to Almighty God for victory over Jeroboam and all his rebellious troope Abijah with 400000. men of Judah and Benjamin had the conquest of Jeroboam with 800000. men of Israel full twice so many and at that time kept them under due obedience Here may you see a most remarkable judgment of God for their rebellious undutifulnesse Observe further how many severall and sundry waies they were punished both with idolatrie and other enormous sinnes which crept amongst them and perpetuall wars and troubles abroad and in a short time brought to captivity whereas Judah on the contrary had still a greater measure of peace and tranquillity And one thing I cannot but take notice of It is said that those of Israel who sought the Lord their God went up to Jerusalem to worship 1 Kin. 12.27 which begat a great jealousie in Jeroboam fearing lest if the people went up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem it would bee a meanes to turne their hearts back againe to their Lord Rehoboam and what followes So shall they kill mee saith hee and goe againe to Rehoboam there was his jealousie as hee had good reason wherefore hee prosecuted one wickednesse with another as it is indeed the usuall way in all rebellions they cannot bee thought safe but by attempting and heaping up a load of higher and greater crimes Princes are like the bond of Wed-lock once make them the Fathers of our Country and wee take them for better for worse wee may perswade them wee cannot compell them without breach of divine precept once let them be the Lords annointed and it is sacriledge to touch them I meane unfittingly The common people made Caesars but being once made it was utterly out of their power to unmake them againe nothing could do it but death And if a King should breake an oath made by him to his people for a right governing according to his Lawes yet under favour his breach quitteth not his Subjects of their allegiance and if this stand not for a truth for my part I do not know by what principle any man can walke for destroy but this foundation and then your Anti-governists will alwaies finde starting holes upon the least dis-content to shake off that yoke which is undoubtedly laid upon every Subject as a necessary tye of their obedience and loyalty to their Soveraigne and that even as they tender the peace and quiet of a good conscience Therefore you shall read in the Chronicles though God permitted the people to worke treason against King Amaziah because as it is there said 1 Chro. 25.27 hee turned away from the Lord his God yet I trust no man can denie but that it was reckoned treason still in the people But it may bee objected Quorsum haec wee have a King God bee blessed for him farre otherwise otherwise indeed and one who may well bee an exact patterne of pietie to all his Subjects Nay what a happy peace and contentment have wee enjoyed under our most gracious Soveraigne till wee our selves I know not which way have quarrelled with our selves I answer that I urge not this but onely as an argument à minori ad majus if Princes are not to be rebelled against neither by the reall sword nor by the metaphoricall one the tongue that is neither by speech nor action though they should be Nero's or Caligula's in how ample and high an estimation should we then have those who are reverâ good ones and not dipped with the least colour or resemblance of such Tyrannists Therefore Bracton expresseth it admirably where hee said Omnis quidem sub Rege ipse sub nullo nisi tantùm
sub Deo And in another place Si autem aliquid ab eo petatur cum breve non currat contra ipsum locus erit supplicationi quod factum suum corrigat emendet quod quidem si non fecerit satis sufficit ei ad poenam quod Dominum expectet ultorem nemo quidem de factis suis praesumat disputare multò fortiùs contra factum suum venire thus far Bracton It is not for nought that the Apostle doth so inseparably knit these two together feare God and honour the King as if hee should have said there is none can give that honour to the King as hee ought except hee be one that truly feareth God and none can truly feare God as hee ought if hee give not the honour due to his Prince And if Saint Paul could check himselfe with a scriptum est Thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of thy people what can be thought of those that would infringe his legall Prerogative which is as undoubtedly his as our estates are ours and by as firme a Law untill hee shall please to give way to the altering of it by his owne free and willing assent and consent first had and obtained which must not bee drawne from him by the least constraint or forcible perswasion whatsoever That of the Proverbs is a sure rule Feare God and the King and meddle not with them that are given to change And I pray tell me what is the cause why such mistakes and heart-burnings arise in the world but onely the great want of charity in a number Love covers a multitude of sinnes saith the Scripture Ex consequenti what doe you then call that which rips them up and layes them open Indeed love gaines a multitude of good good to others to themselves who use it and where can wee better manifest it then to those whom God hath placed in eminency above us Would it not grieve us much if our children should prove Chams unto us If therefore there bee truly that relation as wee are bound to beleeve it certainly their wounds must needes pierce through our sides and their contempt must needs bee our reproach I am not ignorant that this is a very hard lesson to take out but to come to my Medium it must bee done for to speake the truth while wee want this Theologicall vertue Love wee are very apt to doe injury to them wee love not and it argues a great partiality to our selves What saith Saint Paul to repeate him a little Though I speake with the tongues of men and Angels c. Though I had the gifts of Prophesie c. and knew all secrets yea had all faith c. Though I feed the poore nay though I give my bodie to bee burned and have not love all is nothing And yet God he knowes what an innumerable company of pretenders are there to all these but it is without Love The Apostle goeth on to tell the nature and condition of Love and do but view what characters hee puts upon it Love suffereth long is bountifull envieth not boasteth not it selfe is not puffed up disdaineth not seeketh not her owne things is not provoked to anger thinketh not evill rejoiceth not in iniquity but in truth suffereth all things beleeveth all things hopeth all things endureth all things never falleth away Here is a chaine consisting of fifteene linkes all of them most expressive and emphaticall What a hard taske have the men of our age to imitate all these what a brave Medium were here to fall upon Let me once for all speake boldly and it will easily be found to bee true upon due search and sad examination that there is not one the least tumult or distraction in a Nation not the least discontent in a family by which as by Hercules feete may be measured the proportion of the whole body but it ariseth from the want of due observation of all these I might expatiate my selfe in these particulars but my care is as much as I can to save time and trouble to the Reader I professe not my self a Divine it is not my way therefore I leave peculiar applications to the ingenious Now by the rule of Contraries I might illustrate unto you what is opposite and repugnant to Love but diverse mens practice now a dayes will in this point instruct you better then I. There is much to bee said but I shut up all in Love and I wish from my very soule all mistakes and misbeleefes might end there which will never be while they so be for unlesse they vanish no roome for Love That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is extreamly mistaken abroad for it is often made but the baite whilest the hooke layes hold on private interests And truely as my hearty prayers shall be ever bent for a most prosperous event of proceedings in these instant great Assemblies So it shall still be one prayer of my Petition that there may be Love at the end of every thing and I am confident such a Petition as this needeth neither clubs nor swords to force its admission FINIS