Selected quad for the lemma: judgement_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
judgement_n	act_n	king_n	parliament_n	3,280	5	6.9453	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92860	Animadversions upon a letter and paper, first sent to His Highness by certain gentlemen and others in VVales: and since printed, and published to the world by some of the subscribers. By one whose desire and endeavor is, to preserve peace and safety, by removing offence and enmity.	Sedgwick, William, 1609 or 10-1669?	1656 (1656)	Wing S2383; Thomason E865_5; ESTC R203530	87,657	113

Commonwealth would have been made Confederacy and Rebellion 'T is true the Army did at least tolerate and so far consent as to submit to this Government but I know not that they by any act did ratifie it or ever intend to perpetuate it And that consent was not an act of Judgment and Righteousness for in all our Affairs hitherto we have not had so much light and clearness as to produce any work of true Wisdom and Vnderstanding But as in all other things so in this we are driven and thrust forward from one thing to that which is next as the sence of Danger and the hopes of Ease lead us in the dark without Judgment And so the Army set up or admit of this Government by a Parliament without King and Lords being at hand knowing no better finding some ease in being freed from worse Oppressors and as a present conveniency And if they had power to admit it or set it up when they found it useful why may they not pull it down and reject it when they felt it grievous and burthensom III. That which you call the Government as it never had a Formal Constitution either from God or men that I know of so before it was taken down it had quite lost the nature and spirit of Government a dry Tree shrunk up into a private and selfish spirit There were good men and good things amongst them but as the Princes of Zoan Isa 19. mingled with a perverse foolish spirit that four or five of the best of them could not agree in any one Proposition for publick good though they were both wise honest men yet they themselves know they were absurdly and peevishly divided in so great a confusion that there could be no reason of expecting any more fruit from them They were a long while a Burthen to the Nation and the People very sensible of it and did by a general dislike and scorn of them re-call that choice that they had made of them and the Honor they had put upon them and would if the Army had not guarded them have express'd their rejecting of them from being their Representatives by pulling them out of the House they were indeed full ripe and had not the Army done it the rage of Women or some such base hand would have gather●d them 'T was doubtless an Honor for them to dye by so Noble a hand which had given and continued life to them I believe they were self-condemn'd and the more ingenuous of them were sensible of an Inlargement by their being discharg'd from their sore and unprofitable travel onely having long injoyed their places they linger'd and were loth to depart and when they saw they must go they would provide for their speedy return and would have dyed to live again which was the great incivility done to them in their apprehensions they were prevented in their propagating their likeness and themselves also into A new Representative IV. The then General and Officers did not this work voluntarily which for ought I know they might have done had they had light and strength sufficient for it but they were thrust upon it by the Soldiers and inferior Officers which I suppose you may remember and that your own spirit was busie and active in it and much rejoyc'd in it when it was done and you had indeed some more reason for it than others for that body was very averse to your way and to the things you would have done yea far more averse than this present Power is For you now to fetch your Enemies so you counted them while they liv'd out of their Graves to oppose and accuse your Friends for an act which you approv'd of it is a strange change of your mindes If you could come out of this mist of Discontent and behold your present posture how you seem to love and plead for that which is not which if it were again you would seek the destroying of it again and how you prosecute them with hatred which did your work for you and are your Friends you would be greatly astonish'd at the strange form of your own spirits a greater wonder than Change of Governments and you would confess I am apt to believe That both your Love to them and your Enmity to these is feigned and not real I must deal as nakedly as I can with you and them and all the world and tell you That I do think there was Iniquity in that action and in all actions of that nature for pulling down is a dark and wrathful Ministry and ordinarily perform'd by such a spirit as Jehu had whose name shewed his nature sibi constans constant to it self or self-seeking though imployed by God To destroy old worldly buildings though very rotten is not a work for a pure Evangelical spirit the Vengeance administred may be righteous but if there were not a deal of fleshly Zeal Pride Self love and some bruitish Cruelty or hardiness in us we should not be fit for such a service Therefore I fear before God will make use of us in any Honorable work to build a place of Rest for himself he will wash away the stain of Blood that sticks upon us make us to be asham'd and loath our selves for that Rashness Fierceness and Violence that have accompanied all our late Wars and Transactions Indeed a right sight of this Evil would make you and me and all of us not to condemn others but our selves and the state or kinde of the ministry we have been exercis d in But for you to overlook the evil of the whole Party and of the Parliament it self in cutting down by a long War and much Blood King and Lords two Estates superior to themselves and to seem to be astonish'd that an Army should gently lay aside that Parliament which it had given life to and upheld and in such a season in such a maner where no Blood spilt no Tears shed none made Fatherless none Widows This great trouble you express is some strange and new grief taken up of late you and others did rejoyce in it To pull down old Houses is a dusty and thankless work they that live in them or are part of them and subsist by them will be angry at it But that you should be cordially offended at it who expect another Kingdom and Monarchy for whose sake this is done yea that did do it and would do it again if it were undone Or that you should complain of that done by these while you are endeavoring to do the same thing upon these I can't reach the reason of this Mys●●ry For who sees not that you are about to change the Government if you can though it be by War And therefore it is you express your fear that they are utterly disabled to prosecute c. Angry at former changes and fear we shall have no more that now things are bound up fast by an Oath and Instrument that we shall go no

company to follow you you will I hope be so good natur'd as to abide with them or stay for them till they come to your light for you are not so melancholick as cholerick nor have you so good a Cause Conscience in your present contests as to live alone with it But tell us whither you would have us to withdraw whether into our own souls to minde a more inward and spiritual work or into our families callings and congregations to attend the worship of God in a private way and to leave Government and outward National work to them that are ingaged in it But I fear you rather invite us into Wales to joyn with you there or to raise a party here in England to begin another War and if this be your minde I shall onely in telling you why the Lords people cannot joyn with you take my leave of you I. First We were urg'd and prick'd on to the former War by a necessity of a being for the spirit of the King and Bishops were such that we could not live with a Liberty of our Consciences under their Government Now having obtain'd this though it be with great expence of Blood and Treasure yea of many of our outward Rights and Liberties yet we had rather sit down quietly in this Freedom with safety than hazard this and all we have left us by a New War II. Secondly War is a violent and desperate medicine to be applied onely in case of necessity upon incurable Enemies whose spirits are set at such a distance from and enmity to the light of Godliness it self that they are beyond the reach of conviction such beasts are fit for the sword who never felt nor knew any power but outward force But for brethren that have been and are enlightned and become subject to the leadings of conscience though they be fallen into a temptation and snare the remedy for such is not carnal but spiritual and that is Light to be administred with patience and long-suffering to the conscience and that too so long as there is any spark of life or any sence at all of the fear of the Lord left in them being by it capable of reproof and instruction they should be attended upon with suteable means in love and mercy If all means of this kinde should prove ineffectual and that they should go on to sin wilfully after they have received the knowledge of the truth yet an outward Sword would be improper they being prepar'd and reserv'd for a greater punishment a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation Heb. 10.26 27. But I believe you cannot think that our Governors are gone so far back into obstinate and wilful Wickedness for those things about which you differ are disputable things and remote from Godliness propounded and prosecuted with much carnal zeal and offensive weakness And therefore it cannot be interpreted Wilful Ignorance not to be convinc'd but Weakness And alas do not we see they are in a continual hurry tossed with dangers striving all they can for life which occasions passions that darken the minde Their spirits must needs be disturbed and distempered with a multitude of worldly perplexing Cares and therefore 't is no wonder they take in or give forth no more light or that their spirits and way is dark and misty From a State so sick as ours is so dangerously shaken cannot be expected any acts of cleer Judgment nor any progress in the work of Reformation And now while their Enemies are plotting Mischief and watching for Advantage and all they can do is little enough to preserve our Safety for us in this season to impose our own Opinions upon them and to withdraw from them and threaten them with Division and War for not following them is very unseasonable and unbrotherly and weakens their hands that should be strengthned for our Defence Thirdly We do see that in all reason a New War amongst our selves would open a way for the common Enemy to destroy both parties 't is well if all united can subsist against them But our Divisions are their great hope and the life of their Cause the onely thing that supports their spirits and hardens them in opposition You complain in your Paper That they are offended and that stumbling-blocks are laid in their way But its evident That nothing keeps them at such a distance from us and conviction as our differences amongst our selves which gives them hopes of recovering all and those hopes uphold pride and enmity Therefore to war upon our Brethren were to take their work out of their hands and to betray that remnant that is left us to the sword first then to their malice Fourthly We are indeed weary of War and do finde that it is at best but a sad carnal thing For though this War was undertaken with some Honesty and Simplicity against a Malignant and Oppressing Enemy yet we see no cause of glorying or boasting of it for we finde the Sword is a devouring thing it wastes Treasure impoverishes a Nation and loads it with Taxes We complain of Taxes 't is not the fault of Governors but the nature of the Sword is such it hath a great Mouth and must be fed or worse and to begin New War would multiply Taxes as we multiply Armies and Forces War devours our Priviledges Rights and Freedoms 't is Iron that breaks all into pieces 't is rough and hard and will tear down Councils Laws Governments Property and Freedom 'T is not the men that use it but the nature of the Sword and its ministry is to tread down all things before it and those that are exercis'd in it must either obey its commands and follow its rules or else the Sword it self will go from them or be taken from them and be imploy'd against them This the Sword hath done amongst us and they that draw it again will certainly waste what is left us of Right and Property and leave us quite destitute War wastes the peace and quiet of mens mindes and fills them with Fury For Every battel of the Warrior is with confused noise and garments rolled in blood Isa 9.5 Blood strangely stains the nature of man makes him bruitish uncivil unsubject to Law and Authority and fills the mindes of men with sounds and voices of Confusion and Division of Fire and of Wrath which makes men tumultuous proud cruel and imperious Men after a War are an unquiet Sea apt to be moved upon every discontent to War again And this Blood rouls and tumbles in your Fancies that you know not how to settle to a quiet life but long to be in action again Although there was a Righteousness and Justice in our late War against our Enemies yet it was not so pure a work but if we look back upon it we may see cause of Repentance both from the nature of the work and from the subject upon whom it was administred War when it is a Dispensation