Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	bishop_n	church_n	reformation_n	2,930	5	8.7259	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87429	The iudgement of an old grand-jury-man of Oxford-shire, concerning the breaking up of the late treaty begun at Uxbridge 30. Ian. 1644. Delivered upon his perusall of the late printed full narration of the passages concerning it.	Old grand-jury-man of Oxford-shire.	1645 (1645)	Wing J1175; Thomason E285_8; Thomason E303_11; ESTC R200068	13,146	19

and if they doe not revenge the Horse against the Hind if they doe not lay the Pride of the Clergy low enough then never trust them Never was foolish Horse prouder of his golden Bit and Bosse then was the Common People at first of this gay bridle It was the simplest sight in the World to see them bring in their Boles nay their Bodkins their Tankards nay their very Thimbles to Guild-hall just as the Children of Israel did their Eare-rings to make themselves a Calfe For indeed what else have they now made themselves It is true the poor Hinde is falne they have had their desires in the ruine of the Clergy and of the Church but have they yet slipt the Bridle from their own necks hath not the Parliament rid them to the purpose now have they not hurried them through such boggs of Contributions and such bryars of Covenants that have scratcht and tore both their Fortunes and their very Soules have they not courst them over hedges that fence in their propridties and liberties and over Gates that opened them the free use and benefit of Lawes In stead of setling the pretended Troubles in the Water of life have they not cut a new River and carried the water clean another way so that one knowes not where to drink when he is a dry so that one knowes not where almost to have any Sacrament administred as it was wont have they not so long persecuted the poore Surplice in most Churches that they have scarce left any man a Shirt in the whole Parish It is to little purpose to perswade any man to that which every man doth feele And now the Horse would be glad to be case of his Rider if he could tell how The People would faine returne to their old wonted Lawes and Liberties if they could tell which way But alas it is too true which the old Proverb saies set a Begger on Horse back and he will ride put the power over the Lives and Liberties of the Common People into Necessitous and Indigent mens hands men that mean only to raise their owne Fortunes though it be upon the whole Kingdomes ruines And they will leave them bare and poor enough before ever they have done Honest simple men that were willing to believe that which they faine would have were apt to receive some hopes of slipping this Bridle at the last Treaty for Peace They did imagine that the Parliament intended a Peace if the King were willing as well as they pretended it But a man with halfe an eye might see they never meant it Alas they drive too good a trade at Westminster to break suddainly Men will talk much of some ground about London how much one Acre thereof is worth But I dare say two foot of ground at Westminster well occupied and well manur'd as some Parliament men have done hath yeelded some of the Farmers of all our Fortunes greater Commoditie and quicker Returne then all the Land in England which they have besides And will any wise man think they will ever forfeit their Lease for not-payment of a Pepper corne does any man Imagine they will loose that Commodity which they have got by Warre in three or foure yeares for not offering to talke a little of Peace for two or three dayes Truely they did nothing else so farre as I can see and if those Papers which are printed doe containe all their Propositions and all the true passages thereupon in all my life did I never see the Proverbe trulier verified A great Cry and but a little Wooll What a noyse is there made with Religion for one of their Propositions is concerning that I professe I began to look about at that I did verily beleeve either there was some Error in our Creed or in the Doctrine of our Sacraments or in our Book of Homilies or in our Book of nine and thirty Articles or in our Book of Common-Prayer or some where or other the profession whereof did much derogate from the purity of the Protestant Profession and I longed to see what poynt of Religion that was because having heard so much of the devotion and piety of the King I could not imagine that the Parliament and He could differ in that especially He having professed to maintaine the pure Protestant Religion so often as he hath done Now when all comes to all The great businesse of Religion what doe you think it is An abolishing of the Church-Government by Arch-Bishops Bishops c. and the bringing in of a New Government whereof They themselves are not yet agreed what that kind of Government shall be and as appeares by their owne Books although a man would have thought that nothing could have set Mr Prinne and Mr Burton together by the eares as of late about this poynt they both have been it is like they never will And is this such a great poynt of Religion to destroy that Order of Men that hath conveighe Religion unto us ever since there was any in this Island of ours Is it for God's Glory to dishonour his Ministers doe the Bishops hinder the growth of Reformation without whom this Church of England all the World knowes had never been Reformed Well any man may see plaine it is not the Lawne of the Bishops but the Land of the Bishops which these men are offended with and they have opened their mind pretty well for whereas in the first passing of that Act against Episcopacy they were contented all the Bishops Lands should revert and come unto the King the better to bayte him that he might catch thereat and so be the more willing for to passe the Bill In a later * See the Appendix no. IV. Declaration of both Kingdomes and so in the Treaty at Edinburgh They assigne those very Lands unto the Scots the payment of Publique Damages and in conclusion meane to reduce them at last into their owne private Purses If these men had desired to alter the Government of the Church and not desired to alienate the Lands of the Church truly I should have been so charitable as to think they might have done it out of Conscience as beleeving the Calling of a Bishop unlawfull but when I see the Alteration of the one is but made a shooing-horne to draw on the Alienation of the other for which there is no necessity for if the Office of a Bishop be Antichristian sure the Revenues are not the Presbyteriall Government or any other Government in the World may enjoy them as well as any private Lay-man I cannot but conclude that they never meant any Publique Reformation of the Church but onely the Raising of their own private Fortunes that they never lookt after any Godlinesse which is great gaine but after such gaine as might goe for great Godlinesse and if they can get that I dare say for them Religion may either sinke or swim They never care Well but admit they had got all the Church Land into their