Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	great_a	king_n	people_n	5,724	5	4.8029	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A57541	Sagrir, or, Doomes-day drawing nigh, with thunder and lightening to lawyers in an alarum for the new laws, and the peoples liberties from the Norman and Babylonian yokes : making discoverie of the present ungodly laws and lawyers of the fourth monarchy, and of the approach of the fifth, with those godly laws, officers and ordinances that belong to the legislative power of the Lord Iesus : shewing the glorious work incumbent to civil-discipline, (once more) set before the Parliament, Lord Generall, army and people of England, in their distinct capasities, upon the account of Christ and his monarchy / humbly presented to them by John Rogers ...	Rogers, John, 1627-1665?	1654 (1654)	Wing R1815; ESTC R17577	155,416	182

the Lawyers stink in our nostrils and bring forth vanities in some but righteousnesse and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost to his Saints and deliverance and sweet freedome and blessings to the Common-wealth In the meane time it is a shame that Ministers of Christ can see them live so in sinne and say nothing seeing those Agags that the indulgent eye of Sauls have spared and favoured must be met with by the two-edged Swords of the Samuels of God ● but so much to our Authority in the Legislative power for the advancing the Law of God as the only fundamentall Law of this Nation Secondly My word to the People is as a Remembrancer for when Cyrus King of Persia proclaimed liberty to the Jewes only those went out of captivity whose spirits God stirred up in Ezra 1. 5. This is the case we are freed from our Norman Captivity Now you whose spirits God hath stirred up why appeare for your Liberties and Rights returne home unto your owne it is high time be not longer Slaves to Norman Lawes or Lawyers This your liberty is Naturall and connaturall as Paul said Acts 22. 20. I am a free-borne Roman which was his Plea and unsuited his Adversaries and made them afraid which surely had never been had not this bo●est man made use of his right and liberty and let his Judges and Governours know it Surely this liberty is more worth then all the Lands in the Nation to us and if we know it wee should not slight it so as we doe therefore honoured Ames cas l. 5. c. 22. tells us that this Libertas proxime accedit 〈◊〉 vitam ipsam Liberty a man counts next his life and will not loose it if it be possible but wil loose his estate yea● the ●lo●the● off his back first yea further for the Publick Liberty and common safety a faithfull man wil loose his very life and prizes it abundantly above his life as some honest hearts have done in England in most ages And if any wonder that I will ●rive thus against the streame seeing I cannot turne it I must t●ll them That the Fish which alwayes goes downe the streame we suspect for dead whilst the living Fish makes against the streame but the truth is as when Tides turne there is first a secret motion and turning at the bottome before it comes at top and so there is in the bottome of our hearts which wil ere long be more openly to all eyes in the meane time we must minde the People of the time of d●y and tell them what the Clock strikes for their liberty and deliverance is hard by And beleeve it Brethren the flaming Sword is in our sight turning hither and thither every way to drive out these Wretches that have lived so long upon forbidden fruits and although the bowles of Authority seemes to many to run Byass to a bad I was ready to say Mad Mistresse this wil be mended ere long when the Mistresse is removed but we must ballast our Ship before we put to saile therefore consider Country-men First of all No Governours are above the Peoples Lawes and Liberties hence it was that Kings could not De jure conclude or determine businesses according to their owne wills and Aristotle Alexanders Tutor tels us That absolute power in Governours is the next degree to plaine Tyranny yea had it not been for feare of offending Alexander I thinke he had called it absolute Tyranny and said true too Therefore are Kings and Magistrates the Organs or Instruments of executing the Peoples Lawes and must receive their Lawes from the People Hence it is that the Emperor King of France Kings of Spaine England Poland Hungarie or Princes of the house of Austria Dukes of Brabant Earles of Flanders or Holland before their Coronation or Creation to the Governments do ingage to keep the Laws of their Country and their breach of the Laws is or ought to be as punishable upon them as any others And to shew how the Laws and Liberties of People are above their Governors God alwaies gave Laws to such as should govern the people for the peoples good Deut. 17. which their Rulers ought not to alter vid. Brains New Earth Secondly All Rulers and Governors are bound to execute their Offices and Authorities for the peoples benefit and publick good and the greatest Treason is against the peoples Laws and Liberties And Caesar himselfe in his Commentaries tels us that Amblorix King of the Eburons confessed that such were the conditions of the Gaulish Empire that the people lawfully assembled had no lesse power over the King then the King had over the People but rather more So we find there how Vercingentorix gave an account of his actions before the people how they were for their good and freedom Thus in England Ireland and Scotland the Representative of the People have the greatest authority i. e. as from the People the like in Spaine especially in Aragon Valentia and Catalonia cum aliis c. There is a Justitia Major who stands for the Peoples Rights and Liberties hath more power then the King or his Councel and therefore at his Coronation the Lords of the Kingdome use these words in their own Language to the King p. 60. Nos qui valemos tanto como vos y p●demos mas que vos vos elegimos Rei con estas è y estas conditiones entra vos y nos un que mandamus que vos We who are in as much value as you and have more power then you yet have chosen you King upon conditions c. and there is between you and us one that commands both you and us i. e. the Justitia Major who is altogether for the peoples Laws Right and Liberties and to see that for this end the Kings and Princes govern But in case Governors doe not rule for the publick good then Thirdly The People may orderly declare against the dangerous Practises of their Rulers and make an orderly resistance for their owne Rights and Liberties Now let me not be mistaken for I fear this Doctrine will not please some selfish Rulers but this I say whilst I call upon the people to appear for their own freedome and rights I mean not by armes to fight or wage war against their Governors in a rash disorderly way O no! not for a world that we should bee guilty of so ungodly a Rebellion for really I would bee one that would spend my blood against them that so doe but this I say let them mildly declare against the mis-governments of such men as seek their owne private more then the publick good and let them use means to correct that mis-government to admonish the offenders to petition to the Parliament or to our Conqueror the Lord Generall with the same importunities the poor Widow used to the unjust Judge till she was answered and so continue untill the

blanda facie sed caud● pungit occulte The Scorpion hath a flattering face and so these Locusts Revel 9. 7 8. Their faces were as the faces of men and they had hair as the hair of women But Vers. 10. their tails were like to Scorpions that had stings to torment men All this signifies their Hypocrisie and craft as well as cruelty to hurt us Exterius boni sed interius mali sayes one For Scorpio blanditur vultu sed percutit cauda these Scorpions will finely fawn to thy face but they torment with their tail when thou thinkest danger is over This signifies also their varias fraudes sundry sorts of tricks and frauds as Cotterius tells us to deceive and do mischeif with therefore they have womens hair as well as mens faces As the Apostle sayes 2 Pet. 2. 3. Through Covetousness with fained words they make merchandise of men for they seem the faces of men that are most discreet wise prudent eloquent yea and affable and courteous but as Pliny lib. 11. c. 25. sayes of the Scorpion Cauda semper in ictu est nulloque momento meditari cessat ne quando occasioni desit Their tail is continually in motion to torment us and every moment ready to take occasion to sting us and as Paul in Rom. 16. 18. sayes With fair speeches and flattering words they deceive the simple 2. As Scorpions ever since they were cursed in Gen. 3. 14. Thou art cursed above every beast of the field upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all thy days I say ever since with their tails which torment us they gather up the dust of the Earth and feed altogether upon earthly things as their meat Scorpio cauda lingit isti spiritualia temporibus postponunt So they like the unclean beasts under the Law creep 〈◊〉 all four upon the Earth and all this upon their belly too O bitter curse they cannot abide the things above And this make them ready to receive Petitions opinions causes complaints many hours together about Bodies and Estates but cannot abide a Petition that concerns Soules which lately I tryed their patience with before the Lords Commissioners but upon the naming of a Scripture or two they would not hear it at which drawing my Bible out of my Pocket and telling them that that was the Statute Book to be used in such cases and beginning to open some Scriptures I came to that in Ezek. 22. 27. Her Princes are ravening Wolves they seek to destroy souls to get dishonest gain c. but they fell a chasing and fuming and could not endure it But 3 Scorpions sting but not dead at first but the wound works by degrees and Pliny saies plainly that the venome runs along the veins by little and little till it comes to the heart and kils them The Lawyers like them sting deadly and it were better they killed us right out Rev. 9. 6. then to consume perplex paine grieve and afflict us to death by degrees the plague of them is the worse Habent venenatam suam potestatem Thus these Locusts are like Scorpions 8 These Locusts were Monster-forme and that multi-forme being made up of many sorts of creatures so the Lawyers are i. e. Foxes for subtlety Vipers for venome Dogs for mouthing it but Tygers for tearing it and cruelty But 1. In their Body horses prepared to battle Rev. 9. 7. Horses not common but kept up and fed pampered Jades that work not but feed hard and eate and drink of the best therefore saies the Apostle 2 Pet. 2. 12. They are as bruite beasts lead with sensuality and yet like Horses prepared to battle that is full of fury and rage for Antichrists designe and against the Gospell of the Lord Jesus Cum fervore impetu procedentes sine Dei timore discretione currentes in conculcationem electorum sicut equi saies Beda in loc non sua ratione sed sessoris impulsu aguntur ita diabolico spiritu agitati feruntur contra Christum They must needs go whom the devill drives and thus like the horses Job 39. 25. They mock at fear and go on as bold as blind Bayards furiously for Antichrists interest ●s his Army for Civill affairs Besides it seems they are cruell and given to Blaodshed and under pretence of Treasons breach of Law or the like they cause the faithfullest to suffer as Sir Walter Rawleigh told them to their faces 2 On their Heads as it were crowns c. So are these Locusts or Lawyers Antichrists Army of crowned men in State-matters as well as the Priests and Clergy his Army in Ecclesiasticall matters not only in their wear of Caps like Crowns but in that they get the legislative Power and have more regum in the manner of Kings Lords and such like persons imposed laws and ties to consciences tyrannizing and oppressing all the people of God as their Vassals and Subjects Thus the Lawyers are Antichrists Horses kept up for his battle being monster-form magni-forme and multi-form But Christ he rides upon his white horse conquering and to conquer 3. They had Faces like the faces of men That is least me should loath and abhor them for their cruelty and cursed dispositions they insinuate into great places Kings Courts and Pallaces c. by simulation and fine glozing flattering shewes of humanity and humility having learned the art of dissembling in the Inns of Courts having it infused as a principle which Kings and Rulers held by their authority that none was fit to Rule unlesse he can dissemble These Lawyers never more dissemble the● when they resemble the faces of men For they put the fairest faces on the foulest actions There be no greater Flatterers in the world and they smile at the most distance And methinks now the Lawyer is like one nigh drowned he fastens upon any ne● hand in hopes to save himselfe but soft sir 4. Hair as the hair of women Rev. 9. 8. That is as Cotterius notes 1. Varias fraudes their variety of art to deceive an● insinuate 2. Ornatum illicitum their unlawfull attire to make a great show with fine soft and delicate ornaments And 3. Effoeminatos mores their effeminacy and womanish fancies a●● fashions and like women O how they love their long hair delicate comam alunt pingunt mulcent powdering and painting it 5 Their Teeth as the teeth of Lyons Rev. 9. 8. Such an expression is in Joel 1. 8. Voraces truculenti sunt that is th●● are ravenous and cruell so that in the description of them there is falsi boni simulàtio veri mali dissimulatio Aper● Saevitia A semblance of good in their faces a dissemblance fevill in their hair but dentibus crudelitas significatur by their teeth is figured out open cruelty and tyranny and bee sure these State Locusts or

enemy the Hawk sport too Well what should the doe then why the best advice was to live in the Coat or hole of the rock under the protection of man the parable is easie and many are like Aesops living creatures who must have Morals tyed to their tayles let this be one then that the most innocent are the greatest sufferers and find the ●●rst adversaries and such sometimes as there is no escaping from but in Christ the Rock and truly were not the poore under protection of Lawes there would be no living wherefore for shame Sirs let us see to the Lawes of England that they administer us safety from great Tyrants and Oppressors Augustine tels us true enough when he sayes the Lawes are necessary for this reason because they are respected by such as otherwise contemne vertue and honesty for that the Law forces her way thorough them constraines them to obedience and ministers conduct in warfaring and gives life vigor and luster to Justice and Equity The Spartan Pausanias tels us all men even Kings and Princes must come under the Lawes to be directed and Agesilaus a King confesseth that he and all Commanders must yeeld obedience to the Commandements of the Law Now as Cicero sayes Lib. 2. de Offic. When men began to doe unjustly the people to redresse their wrongs done them by great ones and Oppressors appointed and invented Lawes to direct the Magistrates for the publick safety and peace of all men c. So that the Law of Nature reason equity conscience all consent to the Peoples Lawes for their owne publick good and safety for every Creature wil have a shelter as Snailes their Shels Bees their Hives Dogs their Kennels Birds their Nests Foxes their Holes Conies their Burroughs and whither must wee run for shelter without honest and just wholsome Lawes O! honest Country-men we must looke to our safety for many of our Lawes are such rotten refuges and shelters that they wil soon fall upon our heads and leave us naked to the gripes of Oppressors and if we seek not remedy from the Supreame Authority I am sure I shal be sure to say with the Poet ere long to purpose Non expectato vulnus ab hoste tuli but thus far for the first speciall end of the Lawes The second speciall end of the Lawes is the Peoples Freedom to keep the People from slavery for otherwise there would be no moderation between the Lordlinesse of some and slavishnesse of others Thus we shall finde in the Lawes of the Aegyptians and Romans and by the constitutions of the Antonines what notable care was taken for the Peoples liberty insomuch that the poore slaves in those dayes especially the infranchised ones might bring their actions for any apparent injury against the Patrons or Masters Now seeing there is so much difference between slaves and children and notwithstanding the very Heathens would not permit the very slaves to be used cruelly but they might have open recourse to and present remedy from the Law what should we look for then we that are the naturall lawful free-borne children and Sons of this Common-wealth How can we indure to be Slaves and if Heathens would not suffer their slaves to be wrong'd but would presently right them by Law wil then our Christian Governours see us so wrong'd of our liberties as we are and shall we not finde speedier remedy and have freer recourse to just and honest Lawes which aime at our liberties then we have God forbid It is true hitherto and the runner may read it in the Chapter before the free-borne English have been abominably abused and enslaved and could finde no remedy after many yeares attendance on a corrupt Law but we hope this wil be amended and the Lawes intended as they ought to be for the safety and freedom of the people that Princes may be manacled and their rages curbed that private ones may be guarded and their rights restored by righteous Lawes not measured by the interest or power of great persons but wel and evenly weighed in the ballance of freedome It is true most Common-wealths are as yet in a middle posture as having their Lawes partly for Great ones interest and partly for the Peoples liberty but alas the Great ones have the greatest influence and the poore peoples liberties lye as lost and as loath to speake for themselves for feare of a foule check if not of a break-neck but in due time we doe hope for deliverance and in the meane time doe groan for our liberties yet let us observe 1 Obs. So far as Lawes are just and allowable they advance the peoples interest and freedomes 2 Obs. Such Lawes looke first and principally upon the peoples or publick good 3 Ob. Honest Laws make legible to the people their positive and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 4. Obs. True Laws for the peoples Freedom have their Rise from the People and Rule by clear Reason Till which the people are slaves to others and it is no marvell then if our Laws as they now are are out of tune and make no good musick in the end but that instead of Freedome they end in Bondage But the Nightingales will not long live incaged whilst your common hedge-Sparrows can indure it very well When Cyrus was young Sacas was appointed by his Grand father to be his Law-giver in Diet Recreations c. but when Cyrus grew elder into tiper years he became his owne Law-giver and a Sacas to himselfe so surely we are old enough now to be our owne Sacas's which wil be our happy time Like as a man that hath been long in prison so soon as he gets out oh how he leap●s and dances so as no ground wil hold him such a time of deliverance is coming to Englishmen But thus far for the End of the Law Use. Then wee are not too old to learne that the end of the Lawes is the honor of them and of the Nation And no greater dishonour can redound to this Commonwealth then yet to have such Laws and Lawyers as are neither for the profit safety nor freedome of the people How how many hundreds yea thousands in England that can and some doe positively assert it to reflect with the greatest reproach upon us that can be viz. the corruption of Laws Lawyers Judges c. as in the Chapter before which to the shame of this Nation is noised and noted beyond the Seas the particulars I forbear as yet Secondly The next thing is the Object of the Law which I shall be short in Now the Object is not the materia ex qua but circa quam the matter out of which the Law is made but about which the Law is conversant and takes most speciall cognizance that is wicked men in their wicked actions whom the Law is to curb and restraine which takes in also the formall reason of the Law with reference to the End that we