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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	hold_v	king_n	scotland_n	4,230	5	8.8042	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88100	A discourse concerning Puritans. A vindication of those, who uniustly suffer by the mistake, abuse, and misapplication of that name. A tract necessary and usefull for these times.	Ley, John, 1583-1662, attributed name.; Parker, Henry, 1604-1652, attributed name.	1641 (1641)	Wing L1875; Thomason E204_3; ESTC R15236	40,576	60

we see who Puritans are all such as hold not with Episcopacy that is in probability halfe Ireland more then halfe England all Scotland and many other Protestant Countries King James did put a difference betwixt such as disrelisht Bishops and Ceremonies meerly and such as under that pretext fraudulently sought to perturbe the State and make a factious separation But here the difference of all Puritans is graduall only not substantiall for dislike of Bishops is the beginning of all Heresie and must needs end in Anabaptisme and rebellion How plainly does it here appeare that Episcopacy is the true Helena of all this warre and yet Saint Cyprian is to be understood of the Pastorall function not of the Ecclesiasticall jurisdiction of a Bishop or else in his sense the Genevans and the greatest part of Protestants are Heretiques and King James made a frivolous distinction Such stuffe as this had not mis-beseemed a Papist but it s very odde in a Protestant Bishop except wee consider him as one who hath looke back towards the Onions and Flesh-pots of Aegypt and is inamor'd again upon those glorious titles ensignes of Honour and Pompe which Rome confers upon her Courtiers But to conclude this point I wish Princes would not allow such Bishops to be carvers to themselves and make them Judges in cases of their owne interesse they are surely good spectacles for Princes in Theologicall deliberations as Temporall Counsellors are in State affaires but miserable are those Princes whose eyes cannot see without such spectacles If Religion did not prosper worse if peace were not more violated if persecution were not more common in Countries wher Bishops govern than where they are expelled we might suspect the Scots as Hereticall and Rebellious by nature for chusing all the plagues of warre rather then Bishops but when we see the contrary we may aswell listen to the Scots against Bishops as to Bishops against the Scots So much of the Ecclesiasticall Puritan next after whom sprung up the Puritan in Religion of whom I shall speak very briefly There are many men amongst us now which brooke Bishops and Ceremonies well enough and perhaps favourably interpret our late innovations and yet these may be too grave to escape the name of Puritans To be a Protestant may be allowed but to dispute against Papists smels of preciseness to hold the Pope fallible is tolerated but to hold him Antichrist is abominable Puritanisme to goe to Church is fashionable but to complaine of the Masse or to be grieved at the publick countenance of Popery whereby it intwines our Religion and now drinkes up that Sap which is scarce afforded to Protestantisme or at all to take notice how far some of our Divines are hereat conniving if not cooperating is a sumptome of a deepe infected Puritan He that is not moderate in Religion is a Puritan and hee that is not a Cassandrian or of Father Francis Syncters faith is not moderate he savours too much of Calvins grosse learning exploded now by our finest wits But I passe from this kinde of Puritan to another whom I shall call my Politicall Puritan for the bounds of Puritanisme are yet larger and inclose men of other conditions Some there are yet which perhaps disfavour not at all either Ecclesiasticall Policy or moderate Papists and yet neverthelesse this is not sufficient to acquit them from the name of Puritans if they ascribe any thing to the Lawes and Liberties of this Realme or hold the Prerogative royall to be limitable by any Law whatsoever If they hold not against Parliaments and with Ship-money they are injurious to Kings and to be injurious to Kings is proprium quarto modo to a Puritan Our present civill nay more then civill warre with Scotland and all the mischiefes thereon attending the disaffection betweene the King and his Subjects and all the mischiefes thereon attending the discontinuance of Parliaments the proper remedies of all State-maladies and universall grievances which is a mischiefe whereby all mischiefes become incurable all are caused by the abusive mistake and injurious misapplication of this word Puritan The Scots are Puritans and therefore enemies to Monarchy the English are Puritans and therefore haters of Royall prerogative both the Nations have beene hitherto famous for their devout reverence and obsequious zeale to their Princes but now Puritanisme has infected them and perverted them to disloyalty Thus is the Kings heart alienated from his Subjects and by consequence the Subjects loyalty blunted towards him to the incomparable almost irreparable detriment of both neither is this disaccord betweene the King and his best Subjects more fatall and pernicious to the Common-wealth then his accord with the Recusant faction Papists have now gotten the repute of the best Subjects and fittest for trust in places of eminent service nay 't is almost necessary that forraine Papists be brought in for the supporting of the indangered royalty for though the Popish faction at Court be strong and active enough for matter of Counsell yet for matter of force the Puritans in City and Countrey be too predominant The Bishop of Downe in his visitation speech layes all the calamities of Church and Common-wealth upon Non-conformists and for proofe thereof instances in the Covenanters whom he charges of rebellion charging withall that rebellion upon Puritanisme The first thing saies he that made me out of love with that Religion was their injurious dealing with Kings which I observed both in their practice and doctrine He taxes first their doctrine because they deny the Kings supremacy in causes Ecclesiasticall and allow Subjects to resist nay and depose their King if he be a Tyrant Surely Ahab could say little for himselfe if he could not lay his owne crimes upon Elijah but see here by what art of confusion all Scots are called Puritans and all Puritans rebels King James spoke not so confusedly as if Puritanisme were a Religion and all that disliked Bishops and Ceremonies were of that Religion and all of that Religion were enemies to Kings If a Bishop needed any proofe if his {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} were not unquestionable I would desire him to prove all Covenanters Puritans and all Puritans denyers of the Kings supremacy or to instance in any Kings which have beene deposed or murdred by Presbyteriall authority How far Bishops have incroached upon Kings is known to al the world our Protestant Bishops lately have by Oath and Canon combined together to bind the Kings hands though hee be Supreme that he shall not governe our Church but by Arch-bishops Bishops Arch-deacons c. and yet these troublers of Israel have the face to taxe Elijah of their owne sin Presbytery indeed has heretofore passed her bounds yet not of late but Episcopacy has ever from Constantine claimed an independence of Divine right till this instant I conceive there are not in all the Kings Dominions three men except Papists and Anabaptists which hold it lawfull to depose or

a little farther search into the mysterious abuse and misapplication of this word Puritan Those whom we ordinarily call Puritans are men of strict life and precise opinions which cannot be hated for any thing but their singularity in zeale and piety and certainly the number of such men is too small and their condition too low and dejected but they which are the Devils chiefe Artificers in abusing this word when they please can so stretch and extend the same that scarce any civill honest Protestant which is hearty and true to his Religion can avoid the aspersion of it and when they list againe they can so shrink it into a narrow sense that it shall seem to be aimed at none but monstrous abominable Heretickes and Miscreants Thus by its latitude it strikes generally by its contraction it pierces deeply by its confused application it deceives invisibly Small scruples first intitle mee to the name of Puritan and then the Name of Puritan intitles me further to all mischiefe whatsoever The Scots rise up against Episcopacie it is questioned by some whether they so rise up for the good of Religion or for the overthrow of wholsome Discipline Answer is soone made that Episcopacie cannot be unpleasing to any but Puritans there is no opinion can smell sharper of Puritanisme then that of a Church parity and of Puritans what good can be expected but the Scots also desire redresse in other grievances and here their intention is againe question'd Answer is as soone made again That the Scots being declared open Puritans they must needs be enemies to Monarchicall government and that no redresse can ever satisfie them but such as shall debase royall dignity and establish a popular rule amongst them But some of the Scots in some actions doe very much misdemeane themselves and here it 's thought by some that this ought not to redound to the prejudice or blame of the whole Nation but strait the Antipuritan steps in againe with answer to the former purpose that the same faction which makes them all Puritans makes them all mutiners and that there is no trust to be given nor favour shewed to any whose very religion is disobedience Other the like examples may be instanced in Parliaments of late in England have beene jealous of religion this laudable zeale made them at first come into contempt as Puritanical and then the imputation of Puritanisme made this laudable zeale contemptible and so by degrees as any thing else might be charged upon Puritans as disobedience and disaffection to Monarchy so nothing could bee charged but proceeding from Puritanisme Some scrupulous opinions make Say Brooks Puritans Puritanisme inferres them mutineers mutinie makes all that they can doe or say all that they forbeare to doe or say it makes their very thoughts wicked and perverse Thus wee see what a confused imposture there is in this infamous terme of Puritan but we will yet further evidence by plaine instance how broad the devils net is in the vast application of this word and how deepe his pit is by its abominable sense and the nature of its importance that we may the better discover that net which intangles so many shun that pit which ingulphs so sure Puritans as I said before were at first Ecclesiasticall only so called because they did not like a pompous or ceremoneous kinde of discipline in the Church like unto the Romish but now it is come about that by a new enlargement of the name the world is full of nothing else but Puritans for besides the Puritan in Church policie there are now added Puritans in religion Puritans in State and Puritans in morality By this meanes whole Kingdoms are familiarly upbrayded with this sinne of Puritanisme As for example All in Scotland which wish well to the Covenant though some Papists some Courtiers and almost all the whole body without exception have now declared themselves for it yet all these are manifest Puritans So also in England all the Commons in Parliament and almost all the ancient impartiall temporall Nobility and all such as favour or rellish the late proceedings of both the houses which is the mayne body of the Realme Papists Prelates and Courtiers excepted nay and its likely all Scotland and more then halfe Ireland all these are Puritans They which deprave this great Councell of the Kingdome suggest to the K. that the major part is gull'd and dorde by the Puritan party but this is only because they are ashamed to speake it out openly in grosse termes that all the major and better part in the Court of Parliament is Puritanicall But this suggestion is utterly false and impossible for such as the major part in Parliament is such are those that chose them and sent them thither and such are those that now approve their actions there and both in the elections of Parliament men and in the consultations of Parliament affaires the Kings party is as wise cautious and vigilant if not more as the other party and no subtilty could circumvent or cheat them out of their votes if the Puritans were so small and inconsiderable a side as now they make them No man of what capacity so ever can admit this it is to all undeniable that the blame of a parliament is the blame of the whole Kingdome But I returne to my Ecclesiasticall puritan Though it be true that Ecclesiasticall puritans are fewes now then heretofore they have been yet it is as true that Ecclesiasticall puritanisme is made a larger thing by farre then it was being now spread abroad like a net to ensnare the more as our many late additions and innovations testifie which have crept into the Church as may be scared for the vexation and molestation of such men as were not disquieted with former ceremonies It is generally suspected that our prelates have aymed at two things in the novelties which they have lately induced into the Church first the suppression of those which are enemies to their pride avarice and ambition by them termed puritans secondly their owne further case promotion and advantage Both these ends seeme to be leveld at in sanctifying the Altar and unsanctifying the Lords day in advancing auricular confession and corporall penances by externall mortifications and crying downe lecturing and preaching for if we marke it these new Doctrines doe not only serve to terrifie and scandalize tender consciences and thereby to deprive and silence many painfull good Ministers and to scare away into forreigne Plantations whole troups of Laymen and to enwrap the rest in opposition but each of these doctrines besides hath a further reach in it of benefit to the Clergie The Communion Table hath lately gained a new Name a new Nature a new Posture a new Worship that Emperours and Kings may be brought again to take notice how far the persous and offices of Priests excell in sanctity the persons and offices of Princes Theodosius within one hundred yeares after Prelacie began to arrogate to

by any force to violate the persons of Kings how ill soever The Scotch Divines indeed maintaine that a great body of men may defend themselves against the unjust Sword of misled Kings because they cannot flye or otherwise save themselves and this they take now to be their owne case whereas our Court Divines in England hold that in such case wee ought all to yeeld our throats without defence This seemes unnaturall and truth was never unnaturall but I forbeare to dispute a point so horrid to mans imagination The Bishop next instances in the rebellious practices of Puritans and reckons up some facts in Scotland appointed by the Presbytery without King James his privity and some other seditious Sermons and actions whereby he was much annoyed But what did not King James know his owne enemies or how to blame them did he condemne all Scots alike or all Bishophaters alike or joyne the English in like condemnation we know well enough that King James called rebellious precisians Puritans but he never called all Puritans rebellious precisians He never used those termes as convertible but declared his contrary meaning by a manifest difference taken betweene them But the Bishops maine instance is in the present Scotch insurrection this he cals a rebellion of Puritans and far greater then the Powder-treason For sayes he that plot was but the act of a few discontented Gentlemen but in this rebellion of the Puritans they have ingaged a great part of the Kingdome so that this may bee said to be the common sin of that sect. What could have beene raked out of Hell more slanderous to our Religion more Apologeticall for Popery The Powder-Traytors are here prefer'd before the whole sect of Puritans The sinne of the Power-Traytors was that they being but an inconsiderable party sought the destruction of their King and his issue and the flower of the Nobility Gentry Commonalty and the extirpation of the true Religion by a most diabolicall bloudy practice and conspiracy And it ought not to be charged upon the meere actors as a symptome of discontent onely we know how farre the Romish Religion it selfe favours and gives ground to such damned feats and how farre it has owned some having proved prosperous and justified the doing thereof in nature as impious though perhaps in degree not so hainous as this For take this as it was conspired and questionlesse since the crucifying of Jesus Christ the light never discovered any treason more ugly and horrible Now to outmatch this deed of darknesse the Scotch Nation by a strange generall unanimity have armed themselves to oppose the ill government of Bishops and other alterations in the service of God and the administration of justice and being invaded therefore by another Nation have used force to defend their lives and seeing that defence not safe in their owne Countrey they have since pursued it further by way of prevention in the Countrey of their Invaders That is the greatest act of rebellion whereby the common peace and safety of a Kingdome is most disturbed and impeached but by the common act of a whole Kingdome that mischiefe cannot be effected therefore the Bishop failes in his politiques when he thinks that the Major part disturbing the Minor is more trayterous than the contrary The unanimous act of a whole Kingdome ought to be presumed to be lesse injurious and more wise then the act of any small inconsiderable party for it hath scarce ever beene seene that a whole Kingdome or the majority thereof hath over been treasonable to its selfe in procuring its owne ruine Many States have perisht by the machinations of a few ill affected ill advised Counsellors scarce ever any perisht otherwise but the totall body and collection has never been guilty of its owne ruine and if it were such Treason could not be so great as that which is plotted by a few Whilst the Scots contained themselves within their owne territories and were considered as a kingdome within themselves as they were when the Bishop past his censure they were not rightly so censured neither was he then privy to their intrusions that they would infest our kingdome with the same combustion and so prove a disturbance to the greater part of our British Monarchy whereof they themselves are but a member of lesse bulke and value Cursed therefore are those uncharitable exasperating censures whereby the King is too far incensed and by whose rash instigations the commotions themselves become the harder to be appeased Great insurrections are like great fires wherein delay is mischievous and small remedies rather turne to fuell then extinguish and violent counsell against an inraged multitude is like oyle or pitch cast into the flame The wise politician proportions his remedy according to the mischiefe if water will not prevaile he useth milke if a little quantity will not suffice he powres as the combustion it selfe requires Unfortunate Rehoboam stands as a Seamarke to warne all Princes how to shun this rocke of violent counsell against a people violently inraged and aggrieved Some men have interpreted the designes of the Scots to have beene treasonable from the beginning and wholly bent upon the spoyle and havocke of the English Nation from their first stirring Others have wholly justified their intentions and proceedings hitherto as defensive onely and inforced by necessity both these I conceive are too rash and head-long in their guesses In so great a body of men there must needs be variety of opinions and its likely contrariety of affections and therefore it behooves the King to be the more tender moderate and circumspect in his deliberations as wel for the one side as the other especially since the Scots have not evidently and universally as yet declared themselves for the worse We may at once be charitable in hoping the best and wise withall in preventing the worst nay a charitable and sweet demeanor if it be not too fond may prove a great part of our prevention doubtlesse Rehoboam himselfe had hee not beene wilfully devoted to young rash and violent Counsellors might have easily retained within his obedience many of his well-meaning Subjects and reclaymed others of more moderation and by that meanes have divided and dissipated the most obstinate head-strong and furious of all the rebellious party Some Princes thinke themselves bound in Honour to doe unwise things and this was the errour of Rehoboam his aged Counsellours advised him to that which was most politick concluding that to be most honourable but his Genius rather led him according to the advise of his young Gallants to conclude that most politick which to his haughty stomack seemed most honourable but what was the event to avoid the scorne of young men he incurred the scorne of old men to avoid the unjust censure of fooles he incurred the just censure of wise men to gaine the honour of appearing stout he purchased the dishonour of being rash to shew a contempt of danger he made himself a prey to

in their owne Canons about Ceremonies and indifferencies and what disturbance hath that violence produced They strive as for the beauty and glory of Religion to bring in the same former of Liturgie the same posture of the Communion-Table the same gesture at the Communion c. in all our three Dominions as if uniformity were alwayes beautifull and yet we see all men are created with severall faces voyces and complexions without any deformity to the universe 'T is not externall variety but internall dissention which spoyles the harmony of Religion and dissention is more nourished by the harshnes of Pastors over their flocks especially over the weake ones in scruples then by permitting various Rites and Formes in the externall worship of God Certainly liberty and variety in indifferences and Ceremonies is more favour'd in Scripture than any universall similitude or rigorous force whatsoever over the perplexed anxious consciences of weake men We see in Scotland where there is no Ceremonies they enjoy that uniformity without contention which wee ayme at onely and seeke to purchase with infinite debate and persecution and under their peace and unity the Protestant Religion thrives and Romish Superstition utterly ceases whereas under our strife and disagreement Religion and true Devotion is over-run and over-growne like Corne choaked with weeds Nay it is thought that if our Bishops had bin more gentle-handed all this while towards such as disrelisht Ceremonies for Poperies sake and had rather pitied thē as men of tender consciences than persecuted and defamed them as seditions Puritans these differences had not lasted so long for when the reformation was not yet fully perfected the Puritans of those dayes were more fiery than now but not being so odious in the Church lesse combustion followed thereupon whereas now they are so unmercifully heated that no moderate complyance can serve the turne There seemes now little remaining of Puritanisme but the breathlesse carkas of it and yet till that too be interred and consumed no truce can be admitted The very sufferings of Puritans now are sufficiently quit and imputed as the effects of their owne malice their punishment is argument enough for the desert of their punishment the more they have borne the more they must now beare and the more they now beare the more they shall hereafter Fury is one of the maine thing objected to Puritans but in truth the World has not any thing more furious then such as most pretend against them Hence it is that the hatred of Puritans flowes and descends from the highest of the Clergie to the lowest and young Students in the Vniversity know it now their wisest course to study the defamation of Puritans as the first and most necessary point of their learning and qualification and as their surest path to promotion And to make their detestation sure and themselves irreconciliable they must ingage themselves by some notable service of novelty quarrelling with some point of Protestantisme or refining some point of Popery they must taxe Protestants as some ways injurious to Princes or extoll Papists as zealous observers of Antiquity It must be maintained that Royalty cannot stand without the prop of Episcopacy though it never yet found greater enemy and that Puritanisme only hinders the stretching of our Religion or else Papists and we should soone agree Those of vulgar wits which serve not for such straines that they may be redeemed from suspicion of Puritanisme must doe something factiously or be vitious or else their hopes of preferment are almost desperate Charity to Papists conformity to Ancient Fathers and decent uniformity amongst our selves are the specious colors wherewith they dresse and deck all their pretenses for want of Sectaries living in these days they rake out of their toombs Hacket Copinger Browne c. to upbraid us for want of opposites enow here in England they calumniate the Scots to our dishonour for want of true imputations they forge any crimes how monstrous soever and their most sure one is that which is most undiscernible hypocrisie Neverthelesse it must bee beleeved that the Antipuritan disparages not our Ancestors in the reformation but for love of antiquity not teares in sunder the bonds of Religion Nature Policy betwixt two the most close-united Nations of the World but out of love to unity nor fills whole Kingdomes with bloud but out of love to Order Such was sure Diogenes his humility trampling upon Platoes Couches such was Neroes uniformity setting on sire the streets of Rome Such was Procustes his symmetry cutting his guests according to his beds And therefore it s thought Puritans are not so much hated for their opposition to Ceremonies as Ceremonies are multiplied and inforced for suppression of all zealous Christians under the umbrage of Puritans and that for the same purpose the enemies of Piety have blown those coales which they might have quenched The Bishop of Downe makes a very sharpe speech to the Puritans in Ireland as being very disobedient and animated therein by the Scotish Covenanters but his chiefest eloquence uttered against his owne Countrymen the Scots whom he paints forth as the chiefest Traytors perjured Rebels Heretickes and Hypocrits in the World nay he denounceth them worse than Anabaptists and such as have more than justified the Powder-Traytors and all the rebellious practises of the Jesuites Afterwards he addes also That Puritanisme is not the Nationall sin of Scotland only but that they of the same faction in England had beene as deep in the same condemnation but that they had not so much power See here the lively portraiture of an Antipuritane see a true Boner revived againe but in Protestant habit and for ought I see here are none exempted from this black venomous censure in all the Kings Dominions but those of the Popish and Episcopall Faction It 's not to be wondred at that the King thinks ill of his Subjects or that Burton or Prin suffered worse then Traytors merits It 's rather to be wondred at that our streets doe not runne with blood dayly since this is the Gospell our Reverend Fathers of the Church preach This speech was thought worthy to be dispersed in Print over all our Kingdomes in English but since because it redounds so much to the honour of the three Nations and the repute of Protestant Religion it 's Translated into Latine and Coppies are Printed for all Christendome to take notice of In this speech it s urged that Puritans who began about 80 yeares since have proceeded from bad to worse by six degrees first they did dislike then contemne Bishops then they did disobey their jurisdiction then separate themselves then they fell into the Heresie of holding no difference betweene Bishop and Presbyter lastly they rebelled and grew more immoderate than Anabaptists And here Saint Cyprian is alledged who sayes That the contempt of Bishops is the beginning and ground of all Heresies and Schismes Here we see what Puritanes are the most cursed Miscreants on earth next