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A34420
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Monarchy, no creature of Gods making, &c. wherein is proved by Scripture and reason, that monarchicall government is against the minde of God, and that the execution of the late king was one of the fattest sacrifices that ever Queen Iustice had ... / by Iohn Cooke ...
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Cook, John, d. 1660.
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1651
(1651)
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Wing C6019; ESTC R20620
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90,353
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192
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MONARCHY No creature of Gods making c. Wherein is proved by Scripture and Reason that Monarchicall Government is against the minde of God And that the Execution of the late King was one of the fattest sacrifices that ever Queen Iustice had Being a Hue and Cry after Lady Liberty which hath been ravished and stolne away by the Grand Potentates of the Earth Principally intended for the undeceaving of some honest hearts who like the poore Iewes cry give us a King though they smart never so much for it By IOHN COOKE late of Grayes Inne Esquire Chief Iustice of the Province of Munster in Ireland Hosea the 8. and 4. They have set up Kings but not by me they have made them Princes but I knew it not O Israel O England Thou wouldst have destroyed thy selfe but in God is thy help he will be thy King Hos the 13. 9-10 I gave thee a King in mine anger took him away in my wrath Printed at Waterford in Ireland by Peter de Pienne in the yeare of our Lord God 1651. To the Supreame Authoritie of the three Nations the Parliament of the Commonwealth of England Most Renowned Senators who like the Heavenly bodyes having for many yeares been in continuall motion for your Countreyes good have by Gods blessing upon your unwearied labours after so many Hericanes by vertue of the Act of May 9. 1649. brought the Ship of State to Anchor into its desired haven and setled that forme of Government which was appointed for Gods peculiar people who chose a man of every Tribe a head of a house Captaines of Thousands and of Hundreds famous Choyce and mighty men of vallor Chief of the fathers of the Children of Israel to assemble at Ierufalem in publique Councells 1 Numb 4. 2 Chron. 1. 2. and 5. 2. a Commonwealth and free State governed by their Representatives in Parliament and such whom they shall appoint for the good of the People of which blessed Statute 〈◊〉 onely say this that since the Apostles dayes there was never more Divinitie Reason and Eloquence in any writing for as it is said of humility it is not onely a vertue but a ground worke for a vessell that containes all the rest so this Statute is that only Law of the Medes Persians that is unchangeable consequently above the Law makers for a free people may not make themselves subject to any mortall man that rule of my Lord Bacons that the supreme power may not binde but dissolve it selfe being to be understood from Monarchy to a free State but not from liberty to slavery But I observe that few understand the true ground and reason of it looking no further then at the wickednes of Kings their oppressing burdening impoverishing and enslaving the people and so make it an Act of selfe-love to ease themselves in casting their riders as if good Kings might be tollerated who giving the people many good words and some few good Acts of grace enslave them faster as the Sun sooner takes away the travellers cloake then the winde like those which we call good witches that seeme to cure one that they may without suspicion bewitch twenty whereas if any man shall aske why hath the Parliament abolished the Kingly office in England and Ireland the answer is because God commanded them so to doe that it was not out of any affection of change nor yet onely for the ease of the People but from a Divine precept and consciencious principle in the faithfull discharge of their duty to God and man that for any people willingly to suffer Monarchy is to make themselves wiser then God who hath told us that there are no Lawes so righteous as those which it pleased him to give to his Elech People to be governed by Deut. 4. 7. For what Nation is there so great that hath Statutes and Iudgement so righteous as all this Law that I set before you this day the very first of which Lawes was that wise men and understanding knowne to be such among the Tribes should be Rulers and heads of the people Deut. 1. 13. An Elective Aristocracie being a principle in nature for wise men to governe ignorants as parents their little children that cannot order themselves for I can finde no other ground whereon the conscience of a Christian can rest with any satisfaction but the Law of God hee whose Conscience beares him witnesse that he would have had no hand in the Kings Death no finger in the change of the goverment but in a dutifull conformity to the Law of God from the Divine authority which not to have done had been flat Rebellion against God and a contempt of his holy Law sleeping and waking will be at rest that to have made an agreement with him had been but to put a Crowne of Gold upon him and a Crowne of thornes upon Iesus Christ the saving of him had been the beheading of all holines and righteousnes the sparing of him would have been of far more mischievous consequence then the sparing of Agag and if the life of the Parliament and therein the lives of all honest people had not gone for his Certainely never can any true Christian that would have taken in his interest be quiet in his Conscience without repentance Iudge Fortescue chap. 5. hath a story of a Gentlewoman at Salisbury who being accused by her owne man for murdering her husband was upon his oath without any further proofe condemned and burnt to ashes but within a yeare after it was discovered that the Accuser was the murderer who cleered his Mistris though too late but the Iudge who suffered the Iury to finde her guilty upon a single proofe not informing them what proofe was necessary the Law of God requiring two witnesses at the least in such cases Num. 35. 30. who so killeth any person the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses but one witnesse shall not testify against any person to cause him to dye was so troubled in minde that he confessed that he should never be able to cleere his conscience of that fact You that professe your selves to be Christians and yet would have taken in the Interest of a murderer who was the principle Author Contriver Abettor and Countenancer of the effusion of somuch Innocent Blood Rapines devastations depredations and desolations in England Ireland and Scotland for an unjust prerogative read the next verse 31. yee shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer which is guilty of death but he shall surely be put to death and know that it is onely the blood of Iesus Christ which cleanseth us from all sin that can purge you from that sin which calls for repentance in all sorts of people Levit. 4. 2. 27. And certainly if that Iudge was haunted with the Ghost of that Gentlewoman for an omission in his dutie in manner as aforesaid or per adventure for not giving strict charge to the Iury to enquire
Iudgement is something more then science Be instructed ye Iudges of the earth but be consciencious for learning and a good Conscience are two of the bravest supports in the world because a man cannot be deprived of the first in this world nor of the other in the world to come and Iudges are so far to be skild in the Law of God that in all causes coming before them they are to warne the Clyents that they trespasse not against the Lord 2 Chron. 19. 10. If this learning should fall which I hope I shall never live to see then farewell to Ministers and after that no more Magistrates Secondly Prudence 10 answer all objections and cavillations that will be brought to put life into a dead Cause for in most great suites the parties Litigant commonly thinke that they are both in the right and if the matter be heard by no wiser men then themselves how shall he that is in the wrong ever come to see his Error and this Prudence in a Iudge consists principally in giving satisfaction to the hearers that the sentence is Iust and if possible to satisfy him against whom Iudgement is given that he hath no wrong done him Thirdly Iustice which must respect the cause and not the person Iudges were pictured blind and the Areopagites gave sentence in the dark Thou shalt not pitie the poore in Iudgement though it be plausible and naturall for tender hearted men especially so to doe yet God abhorrs it Fourthly There is required Mercy after Iudgement the poore mans condition is to be considered for if Iustice be wound up a peg too high in the Execution of it it breaks Summa Iusticia is the degeneration of it But by this learning I am far from understanding any Craft or Artificiall subtillities in taking legall exceptions for the quashing of Inditements and thereby to save a witch or a murderer from the Gallowes or to arest the Iudgement when the money is conscionably due to the Plaintiffe this is none of that wisedom which Solomon desired I Kings 3. 9. which is requisite in a Iudge it is a wise and understanding heart to discerne Iudgement betweene good and bad truth and falshood a righteous and just cause from that which onely is so in appearance the simplicity of the Dove in doeing wrong to no man and the wisedom of the Serpent to see that by subtillitie in pleadings unnecessary delayes captious interpretations and clamorous importunities an honest cause be not delayed or overthrowne marke I beseech you what a Iudge Prince Iob was Chap. 29. 11. when the eare heard me then it blessed me and when the eye saw me it gave witnes to me hearers had not words enough to praise my eloquence hee was so admired that any one but Iob would have been proud of halfe so many acclamations Ver. 12 13 14. Because I delivered the poore that cryed and the fatherlesse and him that had none to help him the blessing of him that was ready to perish came upon me and I caused the widowes heart to sing for joy I put on righteousnes and it clothed me my Iudgement was as a robe a diademe the poore oppressed ones gave him 10000. benedictions the widow owed to his care the conservation of her children and by banishing sadnes from her looks he made her life comfortable and her mouth publisht his praise the fatherlesse being vertuously educated were in a better condition then when they had a father though Kings adorne themselves with purple yet they minde their pleasurs and honors more then doeing Iustice to the friendlesse but Iobs principle ornament and garment Crowne and Diademe was Iustice. I was eyes to the blinde and feet was I to the lame I was a father to the poore and the cause which I knew not I searched out hee mixed the quallitie of a father with that of a Iudge granting executions against poore men with a bleeding heart melting to thinke that such as are lame and blinde should be ordered to run and see like those who are to lye in prison for one hundred pound when they are not worth twenty pounds certainly the most honorable title is to be stiled a father of the poore for what need is there of rich men but onely to doe good to the poore and though a ludge must not pitie the poore in Iudgement yet after Iudgement pronounced there is place for mercy which is but Iustice and before sentence the poore mans interest ought to be so deere precious to the Iudge as not to pronounce any sentence against him till his cause be throughly not onely opened but studied and when the poore had none or but little Councell Iob was as well their Advocate as their Iudge As by the wisedome of the Law of England the Iudge is to be a Councell for the prisoner in matter of life and death so was Iustice Iob a Councell for poore men in all Civill Causes and would not let any man lye in prison for a debt untill he had examined the justnes of it and that it was cleerely due as well in equity as by Law and his justice is most conspicuous Iob 31. 13. If I did despise the cause of my man servant or of my maid servant when they contended with mee hee heard the complaint of his slaves he permitted every man to speake for himselfe before he be hayled to prison to alledge reasons why hee ought not to be carryed thither and the ground of such his supereminent Iustice was ver 14. 15. VVhat then shall I doe when God riseth up and when he visiteth what shall I answer him did not he that made me in the wombe make him and did not one fashion us in the wombe that though he was a Iudge upon earth yet he was a servant to the God of heaven who would enter into judgement with him that though the condition of the Iudge and the Client be different yet their birth is alike God is Father of them both the Clients body molded of dirt and the Iudges not formed of any nobler matter and that both of them had the honor of being formed by the hand of God and both their soules made after his Image as if Iudge Iob and his slaves were Copartners or Tenants in Common that Princely spirit goes on and from ver 16. to ver 25. makes the most incomparable challenge that ever the people heard of If I have withheld the poore from their desire or have caused the eyes of the widow to faile Or have eaten my morsell alone and the fatherlesse hath not eaten thereof for from my youth hee was brought up with me as with a father and I have guided her from my mothers wombe If I have seene any perish for want of cloathing or any poore without covering if his loynes have not blessed me and if hee were not warmed with the fleece of my Sheep if I have lift up my hand against the fatherlesse when I saw