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A89748 A clear optick discovering to the eye of reason; that regality is not inconsistent with the ends That episcopacy and presbytery are of the essence That independency is incorporated into the body That levelling is allowable in the constituting [brace] of government. And that the recusants are hugely mistaken in the constitution of their Roman hierarchy. Roughly set out in an humble addresse to the Parliament of England. / By Anthony Norwood, a cordial votary for the peace of the nation. Norwood, Anthony. 1654 (1654) Wing N1342; Thomason E809_21; ESTC R207599 13,811 22

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A CLEAR OPTICK DISCOVERING To the EYE of REASON That Regality is not inconsistent with the Ends of Government That Episcopacy and Presbytery are of the Essence of Government That Independency is incorporated into the Body of Government That Levelling is allowable in the constituting of Government And that the Recusants are hugely mistaken in the Constitution of their Roman Hierarchy Roughly set out in an humble addresse TO THE PARLIAMENT OF ENGLAND By ANTHONY NORWOOD A cordial Votary for the Peace of the Nation London Printed for Richard Moon and Edward Thomas and are to be sold at the seven Stars in Pauls Church-yard and in Green Arbour 1654. To the Right Honourable the Speaker of the Parliament of England and to the Earls Lords Knights Gentlemen and Burgesses respectively now invested by the Suffrage of the People with the Supream Authority of the Nation Right Honorable THe reasonable Caveat of a poor obscure man may sometimes save a City and may possibly therefore be serviceable to a Commonwealth I owe a duty to my Nation and must either endeavour to perform it or be condemned of want of Religion and humanity This hath obliged and emboldned me to tender this Mite as an oblation for the peace and welfare thereof to you the honourable Trustees of the Nation by whom the people are in a longing expectation to be restored to their often promised and dearly purchased Rights and Liberties Sir I have been too long a sad Spectator of those bloudy imbroylments which have pierced through the Heart of this Nation whereof I am a sympathizing Member and have observed that the diversity of opinions in point of Government is that which hath been a principal motive to the mournful Tragedy and still renders the people unsatisfied and unreconciled This cause being taken away the effects may happily follow and therefore I humbly crave leave to present these my solitary conceptions upon that subject Not to trouble you over long with their vanity who are enemies to all Government I shall only say that albeit it be true that during the short time that Man continued in his innocency there was none manifestly appearing because then there was no need of any and none might have been had he continued still in the same spotlesse condition yet sin being since crept into the whole mankinde by the fall of Adam to question now whether God doth tolerate and approve of Government is to question whether he hath left Man power to prevent those infinites of inconveniences which every day are multiplyed by the growth and overspreading prevalency of sin and by consequence to draw a suspect upon the Creator as if he were too unmindeful of the preservation of his own creatures This being blown over I shall now with your patience endeavour to demonstrate upon what right the Authority of your Assembly is founded what power you have by virtue of that right and how invalid their pretences are who stand in competition with that right That so the lawfulnesse and fulnesse of your Authority being made clear you may cheerfully proceed in the managing of that trust which the people of this Nation have reposed in you and they reduced to their wonted complyance with your Authority Sir That which hath appeared your most eminent opponent is Monarchy which being by the Abetters truly defined to be a sole Government in one without Co-partners or limitation is totally destructive to your Authority Yet this form of Government say they is of divine Ordination But he that compares the definition with the doctrine that hath been every where published by those of that opinion wherein some of them contend that the Government of a Christian Commonwealth ought to be partly Regal and partly Episcopal othersome partly Regal and partly Presbyterian and that both the one and the other though in the hands of distinct and contemporary persons are of divine institution will hardly apprehend any safety in adhering to a doctrine wherein he findes so much contradiction Indeed in the judgement of any considering man the doctrine will seem extreamly impertinent not only because if it should be admitted that Monarchical Government is of divine Ordination yet it will rest disputable who amongst infinite millions of men ought to be the only Monarch But also because according to their own definition and doctrine he only can be said to be a Monarch who as Nebuchadnezzar had hath from God the sole dominion over the People of all Nations and in the Beasts of the field the like sole propriety and if it be true of that or of the Monarchy of Augustus Coesar which comes neerest to it which they pretend of others that they ought to descend hereditarily either the late world knew no lawful Monarchs if it did it will be no lesse lawful to subdivide every of them into as many more as they contain families then to divide those Monarchies into so many as are now said to be in Christendome This then may be concluded from their own premises that it is as agreeable to the will of God to reduce Monarchical Government into Families as to continue it in Commonwealths And this seems to be the clear intendment of the institution aswell by the example of the sons of Noah who without regard to the priority of bloud in the elder brother did each of them govern his own family Monarchically as by that of Abraham who having the advantage of extraordinary illumination years and bloud did not take cognizance in a case of difference between his own and the servants of his Nephew Lot but rather advised a separation to prevent the growing contention There needs no more to prove that every Master of a family did or might originally govern his own dependents Monarchically and independently of any other humane authority the disposing therefore of the world into several Colonies or Commonwealths composed of divers families cannot truly be taken to be the product of divine Ordination but of some political humane institution which howsoever they may probably at the first be quartered out by the violent decision of the sword thirsty after rule and domination yet where God who only may dispense with his own laws made it not lawful by some particular known Commission could not be legally established but by the voluntary combination of agreeing families over every of which the Superiour being by nature independent and having a sole jurisdiction within his own verge whosoever did assume a power in prejudice to that right did commit an act inconsistent with the end of associating which mainly regards the preservation of each incorporated Members propriety and made himself guilty with Nimrod of that violence which was never yet approved by Divinity Be pleased to take a scantling by a family wherein besides only where nature seals the obligation what allegiance is created is by consent as between Masters and servants Husbands and Wives though that sex be condemned to servitude by God himself and you will