Selected quad for the lemma: justice_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
justice_n	act_n	parliament_n	peace_n	2,561	5	6.0915	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91901	The petitioners vindication from calumnie and aspersion. And the young mans animation to the building up of Zion. Published in their defence, against a scurrilous book or pamphlet lately written against them by I.W. and scandalously intituled, Petitions against bishops and their votes in Parliament. Subscribed unto after a clandestine, delivered after a tumultuous manner, and falsly going under the name of a whole county or town, proved to be both contrary to our late taken Protestation, as also utterly unlawfull by many other cleare and evident reasons. Now answered and refuted, and petitions delivered unto the Parliament, by impregnable reasons proved to be both lawfull, and according to the petitioners duty, and the late taken Protestation. With many other remarkable passages worthy of observation. By T. Robinson, veritati devotum.	Robinson, T., fl. 1642.	1642 (1642)	Wing R1715; Thomason E146_24; ESTC R212725	45,496	53

and yet prove our selves both loyall Subjects and conserve our Oath Acts 27. 28 29. Thus much for my Authors grounds the which I hope have been sufficiently refelled Now he comes to shew you further cause why he would not subscribe his friends Petition nor conjoyne in a petitionary way And this he usshereth in with an Adverb saying fol. 5. viz. Moreover the manner of the proceeding doth not satisfie me The Authors 1. cause First because it is not done in that f right way it ought to be For that which is to go under the name of a County or Town ought to be first k assented unto by the Sheriffe Justice of Peace or other Magistrates respectively and then they may be publiquely propounded and condiscended unto or contradicted that men may be incouraged or disswaded by good reasons pro con And this is that i lawfull and usuall way for the g election of Knights and Burgesses for the Parliament and of other Officers and matters concerning the publique Wherefore h clandestine and surreptitions actions going about from house to house by h night and without the l consent and commission of Authority to m ingage people to the breath of their Protestation and to make it an Act of a County or Town and in a manner to n force men thereunto are but unlawfull works of darknesse and will not o endure the light All his former grounds alledged for his non subscription to Answer their Petition are taken by him though falsely out of the Protestation Now these subsequent which he calleth causes are taken a modo from the manner of the action viz. because it was not done in f the right way For that which is to go under the name of a Town or a County ought to be first affented unto by the Sheriffe c. then publiquely propounded c. and this he subtilly doth exemplifie by the g election of Knights and Burgesses And for that their Petitions were not so obtained and approved therefore he most ignominiously termes them h Clandestine that is close surreptitious nightworks and works of darknesse not enduring the light How forcible are right words but what doth this arguing reprove Job 6. 25. In what manner the petitioners gathered hands I am ignorant But that is not pertinent the action being free and the end lawfull For it is not the doing of a lawfull work by h night or in a private assembly that maketh it unlawfull more then the doing of an unlawfull work by day and in a publike assembly doth make it lawfull And to frame a Petition to the Parliament comprehending not factions or * As the last of the County of Kent so much countenanced by Sir Edw. Deering and others may justly be suspected factious implications but the just fears and grievances of a City or County and the causes of them and to get others like sensible of them for testimony to subscribe the same is lawfull I am certain and past all controversie for neither the matter nor the manner is contrary to Law nor by Law prohibited nay the matter is for law and the manner both humble and peaceable free and voluntary and therefore also lawfull And a man may as soon and sooner if the heads or chief proposers be not honest and sound men be seduced and drawn to set his hand contrary to Law against his will and * Witnesse the Petition above noted Protestation in a publique Assemblie or meeting as at a generall Assizes then in a private Because the greater sort of men are like sheep led by example some relying on the judgement of particular men who are eminent amongst them for knowledge others being afraid to refuse the thing though they doubt and inwardly are unwilling lest they should be counted singular and more nice and wise then all the Countrey Whereas whatsoever is propounded in private or at home is alway more maturely digested the person taking boldnesse to require respite both to examine and consider it And for my Authors i example it is not consonant it concurreth not For what is done in that election is according to the great Charter of England and by the Kings speciall power and Prerogative The Sheriffes Justices and other Offices do nothing therein of their own free motion by vertue of priviledge onely as the Subjects do which petition But in obedience to his Majesties Writ and precept And how expedient it is that the whole County or City even to the lowest member should consent to the election of the person which is to be instead of their persons and the head and mouth of them I appeal to all men For the particular estates interests and liberties of every one of them is intrusted with him But in case of petitioning there is no such necessity every man feels the generall evill but every man desireth not the expurgation of it nor doth every man know the cause of it and therefore cannot make a particular remonstrance and sue for peculiar redresse And because every man seeth not the reason of the epidemicall maladie and so knoweth not what meanes to use for remedie and others that do see it as dead members desire no cure of it shall not therefore such as both know the cause and way of cure and thirst after it use the means law and liberty hath allowed for the effecting it it were unreasonable to deny it Neither doth the assent of a k Skeriffe Justice of Peace or other Magistrate argue any thing lawfull no more then the preaching of false doctrine by a publique Minister doth prove it true the Laws are to be the rules of our civill actions and not their licence Too many things fresh still in remembrance have been both commanded and countenanced by Sheriffes and * Prophanation of the Sabbath seizing of mens goods and imprisoning of their persons Magistrates which we know will neither stand with the Law of God nor of the Nation And if the Sheriffes or Magistrates assent and proposition make an Act lawfull then the bloody Rebels in Ireland are justifiable For as report tels they had for their beginning the consent both of * Sir Phileme Oneale and ochers Peers Justices of the Peace there Sheriffes and Magistrates yea themselves affirm authority for their present actions Again as there is no generall rule without its particular exception so there is no particular or extraordinary example to be taken for a generall rule Ergo though a universall suffrage and assent be necessarily required in the choice of Knights and Burgesses for the Parliament yet it followeth not that the like is requisite in the way of Petitions to the Parliament Now whereas he cals the Petitions Clandestine actions that is hidden and close done in hugger mugger and surreptitious that is as it were by stealth how unsavourie this is let every one that hath but a clear sence prove and trie These are breathings of a corrupt stomacke and the stench

wretches would never yet confesse yet is he not willing to have them removed yet or justly taxed for he unjustly imputes their justly deserved punishment to such as have been punished by them for disobedience to their g Ecclesiasticall Laws and such as are all affected to government I verily beleeve no man hath prosecuted them as they have been instruments under God to afflict him but as they have been enemies of Jesus Christ and his members depressours of true worship and promoters of false not for executing their laws but because they falsly executed them and turned justice into persecution not punishing men for disobedience but for conscience For the Papist the Atheist the drunkard and whoremonger and prophane person whatsoever that would but bow down and do them homage should not onely have peace but be promoted by them but the good and the godly even the most painfull and conscionable Ministers and Servants of Christ Jesus that would not nor durst for their Lord and Masters sake and their own souls fall down and worship them were the onely objects of their Romish power and tyranny using their Laws onely as spiders webs to take the painfull Bee and harmlesse Flie in and so to make a prey of them They do not therefore suffer for the very èxecution of their h office but because they have perverted and neglected it and intermedled with matters that they ought not they would be Courtiers Statesmen Lawyers Polititians Magistrates nay * Witnesse that Bellum Episcopale the war between us and our brethren of Scotland Souldiers or any thing rather then Ministers of Gods Word and attend upon their office Like their Grandfather Pope Boniface the eighth making use of both Swords at once And was it onely for their persecution and idolatry we ought all and every one is bound both by Scripture and the Protestation to extirpate and utterly expell them Deut. 13. 5. to 11. Ezek. 44. 12 13. Although Saul the King will spare Agag yet will Samuel hew him in pieces And Moses was bid to vex the Midianites and smite them because they vexed them with their wiles and caused them to turn unto Idols and sin against God Numb 25. 17 18. Why should Gods House be any longer a den of theeves Our Bethel be made Bethaven the performance of this service is acceptable to God and for this Jehu and his house was blest 2 King 10. 30. and as for many who have done i contrary to those their Ecclesiasticall Laws I cannot judge them punishment worthy albeit I know they have had it without desert for they did neither act nor omit any thing in contempt on purpose to oppose but in tendernesse of conscience because their Laws commanded things Gods Word forbids and prohibites what God commands and whether it be better to please God or man judge ye Act. 4. 19. for in truth many things are comprised in their Laws that are neither of God nor Christ nor according to reason but like those prodigious Cannons they last made thinking therewith to blowe up the whole Kingdom at least wise to have blown out all godlinesse and good men But praised be God the snare is broken and we are delivered and they themselves are blasted with their own Ordinance Nor can unity and k peace be within their principles For Christ the Prince of peace and Head of his Church never appointed any such Constitutions or * A devised government must alway have a devised Law to support it Cannons to govern his people his last Will and Testament is full and sufficient for the declaration of his mind it needs no superfluous codicill or appendix of the Bishops forging In vain therefore doth my Author say that they suffer for executing their laws for the peace of the Church for by them they altogether broak the peace of it and did mightily raise troubles and turmoiles both in it and in the Commonwealth And could it be otherwise for the government of the house being contrary to the Masters will must on necessitie beget a reluctancy in the servants and produce discord and division And the government being found thus ill why should it not be ill l affected nay utterly rejected It is more then high time to cease to do evill and to learn to do well to seek peace and pursue it Isa 1. 16 17. and 1 Pet. 3. 11. We have received more light and therefore must walk more circumspectly not as foolish now but as wise redeeming the time because the dayes have been evill Now touching that instance of his concerning the m Judges execution of the Laws temporall his similitude holds not unlesse it be in this that he cals the Judges the Laws n executioners which may truly be taken the Laws Hangmen and indeed it is too true that some of them have as I may say both hanged the Law and drawn it yea and quartered it and I think had not God timely prevented them would before this have set up the * As the yong mans were because he did terrifie that St. Canterbury quarters thereof on the gates as an Archtraitor and Perturber of the Land And I verily beleeve there are many wish as well to our Law as the Papists do to our Bible But the Judges administer punishment by a lawfull power and by vertue of laws lawfully enacted upon persons offending and the Bishops administer punishment by a false power and by vertue of Laws falsely constituted upon persons not * Where have they punished one scandalous Minister who can resolve me offending For it hath been their common course to justifie the wicked and condemne the righteous therefore is that curse their due threatned in Isa 5. 23. and that because people will not for conscience sake suffer or subject unto an unreasonable and most unlawfull spirituall power they will not therefore bear with and submit unto a most lawfull temporall power it followeth not but rather that they will be the more obedient according to the word because they are so conscientious and fearfull to offend the Lord. And the like just proceedings being taken against unjust Judges as hath and is likely to be against impious Bishops is the absolute way to o secure the execution of the Laws against offendors for then will there not so many wilfull desperate murthers notorious robberies publique transgressours grievous oppressours and extortioners of widows fatherlesse poore simple and helplesse for briberie promotion greatnesse fear and favour be pretermitted or connived at and escape with impunity and so we shall extrude all vice and the Law have his proper power and free course Otherwise dum non metuunt nil curant And that the Bishops for their offences p against Law should be punished by Law the Petitioners onely sue for and their wills are none other Onely as they have been ill stewards and wicked in the House of God so we humbly desire that they may be put out and others according unto God placed