Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A43195
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A Healing motion from abroad to the Parliament of the Common-wealth of England, Scotland, and Ireland, &c.
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1657
(1657)
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Wing H1302; ESTC R19483
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19,994
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72
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of the wisedome of the Nation the credit thereof is thus farre raised again by a Protector what might be done if it had a King of such an Heroick spirit and able conduct We looke upon the Nation therefore as raised from the dead and set upon its feet to act in its true interest from which it was heretofore kept back Formerly the Spaniard had his snares upon all the Counsells but these are now broken And we make no doubt but the Wise and Generous Representatives now assembled will maintain the Credit of the Nation against him The successe of the warre hitherto hath not been such as could bring gain Seldome is it seen that the beginning of a warre is gainfull but we conceive it hath not been undertaken so much for gain as for Justice and Reputation and in this respect we find it very succesfull both in reference to the cause and to the event which may be foreseen by those that are intelligent The Protestant Cause in Europe is sensible of it and although in such a vast enterprise the event cannot be suddenly apparent to all yet it may be perceived that in a short time being continued it will certainly ruin the great enemy of the peace of Europe and drain the fountain of his power and break the Antichristian yoak which hitherto for the Papal Interest he hath put upon the conscience of all Christians who have dealt with him We mean the Inquisition by which he is an open enemy to all Christian freedom A Tyrannie of the highest nature that can be imagined and under which all deserve to lye whose spirit is so base as not to joyne in opposing it till the upholders of it be made as contemptible as ever they intended to be eminent by their affected Monarchy And if there were no more in the quarrel but this alone The Reputation of England will be glorious for ever in the mindes of all men of Piety and Honour for lifting up a banner against it when the rest of the world did fit still under it We see daily that some Nations make warre with their Neighbours for raising Taxes of money or infringing the liberty of their Trade and should not all Christian States become sensible of such abominable taxing of the persons and lives of their Subjects and of the infringment of the whol liberty of their Gospell profession it shall therefore henceforth truly be said that no Nation is sensible of true liberty but England and that all deserves to be slaves that take not up this quarrell with it And chiefly those who for the love of filthy lucre either strengthen the hands of Tyrannie by assisting him in his occasions of warre or withdraw their strength and the assistance due to those that do oppose him Therefore we are confident that the pious generous Representatives of the highly esteemed Nation of England will not be wanting in supplies or stick at extraordinary charges Herein then what ever the event of the warre may be will the Piety the Justice and the Courage of the Nation be renowned to all Christian posterity that they alone have stood up for the freedome of conscience not for themselves alone but for all that make profession of the truth and this should raise the spirits of all honest men so much the more by how much it is apparent that Christ hath raised a man as it were out of nothing beyond all mens expectation to take this worke in hand Whence the successe of the enterprise cannot be doubted of seeing it is the way of God to evidence miraculously his power and to overthrow the mightiest of the earth by that which hath the least appearance Blessed be his Name for it and let all that love him in truth say Amen There is one thing more wherein the Reputation of England is concerned which although it is not so apparent to the world as the former enterprise yet in it self it is no lesse considerable and to the intelligent who have notice of it is a matter of no lesse rejoycing We have heard of it and conceive if it be prosecuted of which we doubt not as it is hopefully begun it will advance the spirituall interest of Saints in one another and the kingdome of Christ thereby more effectually then the breaking of the outward tirannical power of the Adversarie can do It is the Designe of taking away the divisions which are amongst Protestants and setting a Religious correspondency a foot amongst them for the propagating of the Truth wherein they are agreed At this Designe as the godly on both sides are comforted and raised in Spirit to hope chearfully for a blessed enlargment of the knowledge of the Son of God so the Adversaries of the Truth are more then ordinarily startled and troubled at the apprehension of the event which is no small presage that the Lord is going along with the design and should be an encouragement to all intelligent Men to joyn in the work because that which the enemies of the Truth fear most all that have received the truth in the love thereof should seek most to bring to passe This work of a Correspondency between England and Foraign Protestants for the interest of the Gospel was one of the wise resolutions and proposalls which the Parliament in the year 1641. in their Remonstrance to the late King made as to be one of the effects of their Domestick Reformation then intended but the unfortunate Man followed a contrary course to the way proposed and did not only decline the Reformation but corresponding with the enemies of the Gospel opened a doore unto them to bring in their Superstition into England and Scotland and to enlarge it in Ireland But God hath disappointed wonderfully all those designes as hath been evident to all the world therefore having begun with them when they were at the height of their undertaking to overthrow it we may assuredly conclude that he will also make a full end For he hath declared his purpose that he will arise for his people to shake terribly the earth and what he hath purposed who shall disannull it And when his hand is streched out to execute his purpose who shall turne it back Therefore let all that are upright in heart be strong to work with the Lord for the uniting of his Saints that their light may break forth as the noone day and the glory of the Lords goodnesse may be seen upon them Let none look back as Lots wife did to regret the losse of temporal conveniencies but all look forward to follow the footsteps of the Almighty who is gone forth of his place to shew himself on the head of his people united in his fear love to lead them unto rest and the honour of England is to march in the Front before all the rest whom the Lord employs in this his enterprise These are the hearty expressions of our wishes from abroad towards you most Noble Senators and towards the Nation whom you represent that as by the good hand of God upon the Spirit of your leaders you are become honorable among your Friends and terrible to your Enemies so you would strengthen his hands in the workes whereon the Lord hath set him and with him joyne your Counsell and strength to help the Lord against the mighty Remembering that it is not alone by outward power that deliverance will be wrought to the people of God but by the Spirit of the Lord By the Spirit of love and unity amongst your selves of Righteousnes and love towards all that erre by ignorance and are not made the accursed thing and of faithful confidence and hope towards God If you entertain the Motions of this spirit and despise not the suggestions which from a single heart we have offered as the testimony of our affections for your welfare We are sure the Lord will be with and will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rereward he will make you as a polished shaft in his quiver to peirce through the very heart of his enemies and that it may so fall out you shall have with the constant hearty prayers to Almighty God for your prosperity in due time also the faithful hands of your humbly affectionate freinds abroad who are known to the Lord whom you serve and who know you in him by his service FINIS
A HEALING MOTION From abroad to the PARLIAMENT OF THE Common-wealth OF ENGLAND SCOTLAND AND IRELAND c. An. o Dominj 16â—â— The Letter sent to the Publisher of the following descourse Sir YOur noted affection to serve the publick and to do all good offices to strangers give me this freedome in an unknown habit to apply my selfe unto you to present you with the sense of Forrainers well-willers to England who look hopefully upon the present Parliament You need not know who has sent it it is not at all materiall nor usefull to be known Believe it as a great truth that the thing expressed here is the hearty desire of true Protestants abroad and as such let it be made publick You may own this way of receiving it but are intreated earnestly to satisfie no mans curiosity in telling any of your owne conjectures whence it is sent it is enough that it comes from abroad and that no living soule of the English Nation either in or out of England was ever acquainted with the writing or sending of it to you And let this suffice to free it from suspition of a supposititious work behold the Lord is a witnesse that I speak the Truth This Motion is wholly from abroad from none in England and was never thought on by any there As for matter of partiality it will free it self to all that are ingenuous others ought not to be regarded And if you think good you A Healing Motion From abroad to the Parliament of the Common-wealth of England Scotland and Ireland c. THere be Two Passions in the corrupt nature of man which are most destructive to all humane Societies the one is from the Spirit of Envy or evill designing the other is from the Spirit of Jealousie or evill surmising The last can see nothing but evill in others the first begets a hatred against others for the good that is seen in them They proceed both from the light of self-love and pride and begets in those that are led by them all manner of distance division and contradiction as to matters of counsell and all confusion strife and opposition as to matters of action whereupon the ruine of all States must needs follow when in the MeÌ„bers thereof these passions become so predominant that men are not able to entertain any Christian or civill inclinations to mutual confidence and charity without which no common Interest can be maintained And although no humane passions in natural men are so incurable as these because they are most deeply rooted in the corruption of nature yet in two sorts of men they may be rectified and subdued namely in such who are not altogether void of the life of true Christianity in respect of God and in such who making use of their Reason pretend to ingenuity and common honesty in reference to men We say in such men who are upright in heart towards God in the kingdom of his Son and towards mankind in the State wherein they live these Passions will not be prevalent against the bonds of spiritual and natural duties which Christians and Country-men owe to each other Now because it is conceived that at this time nothing can disturbe in humane appearance the welfare of England if these distempers arise not between the Members of this Parliament and the Governours of the State therefore it is come into the heart of some who live abroad persons disingaged from all particular relations to any party formed in the Nations but well willers to the whole Body thereof to represent without prejudice in a Christian way of love and solliciteousnesse that which they conceive may prevent or cure in men of ingenuity and of a publick spirit the forenamed distempers if any which we hope not should by weaknes or design be set a working lest unhappily at such a juncture the corruption which is natural to all men turn any of their generous hearts from the aim and their feet from the way of their chief duty which is to be helpfull to the State and faithfully usefull one to an other in their station that they may with heart and hand concur together to advance the glory of God in their Generation and the welfare of the Nation which hath put its Interests into their hands For these are the two main ends of their calling unto the high imployment whereunto by God and man they are admitted because in the last of these the private safety and happinesse of every one is wraped up and unto the first all other Interests are subordinate And although Forraigners can take no cognisance of the choice of persons to the places whereunto they are called yet because they are not a little concerned in their performing or not performing of the duties by which the forenamed ends of their calling are attainable chiefly at this seasonable time when the Common-wealth is acting abroad and deliberating at home Therefore they may lawfully and without offence endeavour to suggest what they know to be conducible for the attainment of the main Aims forementioned because such as have a common concernment and may be loosers or gainers together ought to minde each other of the means and wayes by which their Interest may be advanced Now it is out of all doubt that much of the temporall wellfare of all Forraign Protestants is involved in the good settlement well-being and prosperity of England to carry on the common cause which by a speciall providence at this time it hath embraced to make amends for the former failing in this kind over which all Protestants had cause to complain and the honest godly souls at home lamented It shall then be supposed in this Discourse not only that the Choice is lawfull but also that the persons chosen are qualified with the endowments requisite for their places that is with a true sense of Christianity and with the right use of humane reason in humane affaires To such then this plain motion is made by those who abroad wish well to England That seeing their hand is now at the plough they would not look backward but forward That is That they would settle their hearts to settle the State in a way of carrying on the common Interest of Gods People both within and without the Nation and that they would not intangle themselves in the disputes of times past and things past remedy which can produce nothing but discontent and distraction between themselves at home with discredit and disadvantage to the Nation abroad And to open this matter a little further even to the meanest of all mens capacities though never so much prepossessed with the thoughts of partiality we shall say that the main Interest of all Gods people every where is twofold First That in their dayes they may see the manifestation of Gods glory advanced amongst themselves to be derived to their posterity Secondly That their own temporal well being may be settled in a durable course which in humane reason will not be