Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	king_n	scot_n	war_n	5,373	5	6.8713	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87933	A letter from a person in the countrey to his friend in the city: giving his judgement upon a book entituled A healing question.	Person in the countrey.	1656 (1656)	Wing L1420; Thomason E885_8; ESTC R202810	21,671	24

allow authorize persecution I say persecution though it be only of the tongue and how sore a one that is the Spirit doth in divers places witnesse Job 5 2. it is called the scourge of the tongue Psal 57.4 The tongue is called a sharp sword And to pass by a cloud of other witnesses in this behalf Jer. 18.18 it is said by the ungodly there which conspired against the Prophet Let us smite him with the tongue which evinces this sort of persecution is not only known to be one by the bad but felt as such by the good nay Michael the Arch-Angel Jude 9 verse though contending with the Divell durst not bring against him any rayling accusation and totally to stop the mouths of such persecutors and to manifest whilst they raile they cannot pretend religion for it see what James saith Chap. 1.26 verse If any man seem to be religious amongst you and bridle not his tongue that mans religion is vain A cleare and Fertile Scripture such as we have as much cause to credit is Christs sentence in that case as if we had heard him pronounce it so that we need not doubt herein or leave that to his finall Sentence in Heaven which he by his Spirit hath given us so explicitely on earth we may as well if any Blaspheme God or deny the most Essentiall Fundamentals in Religion leave that also till the last Judgement to determine with certainty whether such a man be therein in the right or in the wrong as leave such men only to such decision wee have nothing more for this than we have for that therefore I fear the Latitude our Authour proposes will be so far from weaning the people from that Biting devouring wrathfull spirit he mentions that it will but provoke and allow it It is easier for authority to bridle Men than for men to bridle themselves else why are there lawes established in civil or discipline in spirituall things such avowed Principles as genuinely and naturally tend to the destruction of Society and government are not to be tolerated in any though assumed under the specious and high pretence of Religion which is so far from being destructive to either that it is the best and strongest foundation and Cement of both Who should have supprest those franticks of Munster but the Magistrate should their p●ea of conscience have tied up his hands and would any but of their number have had him let them murther as many as they would or could and have stayed till the Last day to have had it judged with certainty whether their murdrings by their pretended religion had been right or wrong Or should any in these dayes assume their principles could any think the Magistrate without Breach of Trust and duty could waite patiently till they were acted I am certain if it would be too soone for him to do any thing before then it might be too late for him to do it afterwards how if a growing society of men should own as a Scripture truth that none have title to be governours but the saints though truth it selfe hath told us that the Kingdome of the King of the Saints is not of this world that having food and raiment only wee should therewithall be content and that none are saints but themselves every Magistrate therefore that is not of that feather must be either excluded or be judge over his brothers conscience who hath so complexed and inter-woven things of government and things of conscience that none can separate the one from the other nor be a judge in one but in both I shall Sir willingly and clearely agree that in opinions of religion though their professors differ from the truth in the judgement of the Magistrate yet if they are so innocent as to be prejudiciall in their act or in their direct consequence unto none but those which imbrace them all possible gentlenesse and forbearance ought to be exercised towards such and it is a Duty to endeavour their restoring in the spirit of meeknesse considering lest we also be tempted but I beseech you Sir observe how our Authour designes that the liberty he mentions should not be infringed viz. Even by laying a restraint therein upon the supreame Power before it be erected and this as a fundamentall constitution amongst others upon which the free consent of the people is given to have their Persons brought into the exercise of the supream Authority over them and on their behalf as it is expressed towards the middle of the 7th P●g By which methinks it is evident that our Authour would have no supreame Authority set up till they are tyed to that which would make them merit to be pulled down I must plainly confesse I know not who those can be according to his grounds which can lay a restraint upon the supreame Authority either before or after its erection For it must be either by a part of the good people or by all it cannot be by all for the restraint must be laid before all be met in a capacity to act and it is an act to lay a Restraint and if by a part by what right can they lay restraints upon the whole that were to doe what the Authour most complaines of how ever I will make use of this passage in this seventh page to reply to a part of his thirteen page wherein he laments and earnestly asks why so refined a party of men are not instructed with their right which question I will answer with another if they are not capable and fit to be instructed with their rights why doth he complain that they are not and if they are why would he denie them and fetter them in the things of the noblest concerment or doubt their honesty if this particular be not their right that they would declare so much since it is in a matter so evident and cleare as he alleadges this is But that you may see whether this refined party did fight for that Liberty he mentions observe I beseech you what they did either in their defusive capacity or as represented in or by their Parliament in which most properly they speak and act As to the first you shal have our Authors own words observation to cleare it which also he accompanies with this expression that it is a thing will not suddenly be out of memory viz. when the last King made war against the Scots he was deserted by all the good people of England whereby it is evident those which he calls persecuting Presbyters were owned as good men by the good people and whether those do allow of his freedome is as cleare by the title he gives them of persecutors As to the second I appeale to his owne conscience whether he doth not know and believe that the people represented in the long Parliament and I think he will owne none other since which have acted to be a true representative had not begun to establish and would not