Selected quad for the lemma: evil_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A27894
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A few words in true love written to the old long sitting Parliament who are yet left alive, and do sit there now in the Parliament House at Westminster
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Bache, Humphrey.
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1659
(1659)
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Wing B253; ESTC R2665
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10,183
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12
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guide and preserve you as in the uprightnesse of your hearts you are willing to goe on to ease the Nation of oppression and injustice which the cry of it is greater and much lowder in the ears of the Lord then it was when you were first called to fit to consider how to case the people of this Nation from under the burthen of it And now bear with me a little and I shall plainly tell you how the sense of your evill doings came to be now at your first fitting fresh upon any heart and that it was plainly good in the sight of God I should thus lay it before you When the Warrs began in this Nation through the unwillingness of the Rulers of it to be subject to equity and Justice then I desired my trade failing to be imployed in some service for the Common-wealth towards maintaining my self and family so for a season I was imployed at the fortifications about the City my allowance as an Overseer of that work was three shillings a day which I was glad of and well content with for sometime but being in company with others that would delight themselves to goe and drink sometimes with the Workmen more then was meet which was other Overseers which were corrupt one of the Workmen told me as I remember that when they spent moneys so the Overseers he knew did not spend it upon their own charge but upon the Common wealths I said how said he do not you know they can sometimes set down a man more then they imploy or at lest if that cannot so well bee to set down for some two pence a day or so more then I gave so here by subtilty I was betrayed and my minde led out to desire more then my allowance which in that service wherein I was unfaithfull as I remember it came to about six pound that I took more then my allowance in the deceit of my heart Now all the while I was acting unrighteously I had no peace with God for his presence I went from which should have preserved me out of the thing that was evill in his sight and sometimes I had trouble in the thoughts of the evil I had proceeded in in being unfaithfull to my trust but I got over the trouble and went on in the deceit of my heart to do evill so that my eye was blinded that I did not see the evill to be so great and my heart hardned through custome of finning that I went on without much remorse so that work seasing being finished after obtained to be imployed at the Custome house for the excise aboard on ships which I was by oath bound to do service in faithfulness now when I was first passed on that service I had some dread of God upon me and did proceed in faithfulness to discharge my trust and as I stood in his dread I was preserved from joyning with those that were imployed with me that were unfaithful knowing then that I reaped nothing but sadness of heart in my former unfaithfullnesse in the other imployment so then as I stood in the Counsel and dread of God I stood firm as an Iron Pillar in the power of God which did preserve me out of temptations that I could slight the bottles of Wine was brought and what was otherwise offered to ensnare my heart being single but by degrees being amongst the wicked and going out from the integrity which should have preserved me turning from the simplicity and looking to the subtilty of the Serpentine wisdome in others which would use arguments to perswade me to do that for them wherein I should be false to my trust saying what vvas my oath vvas it not to be faithfull to the Common Wealth in the duâ—y of Excise and vvas not I one of the Common Wealth that deserved to have more allovved me then I had and if I did take something and let others have something in taking some monyes of them to let them have it what wrong did I to the Common-Wealth seeing we were Members our selves of it and had a right to it more then those that look more for less service to inrich themselves as the Custome and Excise Commissioners for setting some of them a few houres in a day had each of them many hundreds a yeer not doing such service as I did And their Masters meaning you could give so much to one and so much to another which I appeal to your consciences if it were not truth so if I did not take it and let others have a part others with you such as you would dispose of what you pleased to your own self-ends and where then was the benefit of my trusty service to the Common-Wealths good So that through your subtâ—l wisdom of the flesh which is Earthly my heart turned from its integrity and joyned with the enemy of it which did betray meer self joyning with the temptation to gain something to it I lost the wisdom which should have lead me to deny self wherein the true gain which is durable riches Peace with God lost Thus through your evil example the evil partie in the heart of flesh going on in deceit being through your evil doing encouraged led me astray from God for I thought then according to my vain imagination that if you could do such great things against your Trust and be guiltless that I might do smaller matters with freedom and so went on in unfaithfulness to my Trust and an unfruitful work of darkness for which I tasted Gods sore displeasure for in his Eternall Love to me he followed me close with plagues and his righteous judgements whereby my hard heart might be broken and I by hâ—s judgements â—et up in my heart might come to learn Righteousnes which though the abundant Grace Patience and long suffering of God was effected in me But before I knew this I went on long in impenitency under plagues and judgements that I became even a terâ—our to my self and was full of trouble of spirit yet hid my iniquity in my bosom the cause of my long trouble and disquietness and a small thing would then discontent me and so grew very peevish and froward in so much that when my dear wife sometimes spake but mildly to me I should soon break forth into passion shee not knowing what ailed me to be soon angâ—y which I then was ashamed to tell her or any one but still covered my iniquity in my bosome but the Lords Eye saw it and his hand and arm found it out to plague me for it so that I went a long season under the heavie weight and burthen of his indignation which was the Cup given by his rightcous hand to me to drink who had long drank of the Cup of Abomination through my unfaithfulnesse but since I see the Lords Eternall love was wo king towards me through all this not suffering me to have ease whilst I vvent on to dishonour him by a Conversation full of worldly