Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	church_n	scripture_n	truth_n	5,145	5	6.4163	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A69969	Eikōn basilikē The porvtraictvre of His sacred Maiestie in his solitudes and svfferings. Together with His Maiesties praiers delivered to Doctor Juxon immediately before his death. Also His Majesties reasons, against the pretended jurisdiction of the high court of justice, which he intended to deliver in writing on Munday January 22, 1648.	Charles I, King of England, 1600-1649. Reliqiæ sacræ Carolinæ.; Marshall, William, fl. 1617-1650, engraver.; Dugard, William, 1602-1662. aut	1649 (1649)	Wing E311; ESTC R39418	116,576	254

to in their opinion as too great a fixednes in that Religion whose judicious solid grounds both from Scripture and Antiquity wil not give My Conscience leave to approve or consent to those many dangerous and divided Innovations which the bold Ignorance of some men would needs obtrud upon me my people Contrary to those well tried foundations both of Truth and Order which men of far greater Learning and clearer Zeal have setled in the Confession and Constitution of this Church in England which many former Parliaments in the most calme and unpassionate times have oft confirmed In which I shall ever by Gods help persevere as believing it hath most of Primitive Truth and Order Nor did My using the assistance of some Papists which were my Subjects any way fight against My Religion as some men would needs interpret it especially those who least of all men cared whom they imployed or what they said or did so they might prevaile 'T is strange that so wise men as they would be esteemed should not conceive That differences of perswasion in matters of Religion may easily fall out where there is the fameness of duty Allegiance and subjection The first they owe as men and Christians to God the second they owe to Me in Common as their King different professions in point of Religion cannot any more than in Civill Trades take away the community of relations either to Parents or to Princes And where is there such an Oglio or medley of various Religions in the world again as those men entertaine in their service who find most fault with me without any scruple as to the diversity of their Sects and Opinions It was indeed a foule and indelible shame for such as would be counted Protestants to enforce Me a declared Protestant their Lord King to a necessary use of Papists or any other who did but their duty to help Me to defend My selfe Nor did I more than is lawfull for any King in such exigents to use the aid of any his Subjects I am sorry the Papists should have a greater sense of their Allegiance than many Protestant professors who seem to have learned to practise the worst principles of the worst Papists Indeed it had bin a very impertinent and unseasonable scruple in Me and very pleasing no doubt to My enemies to have been then disputing the points of different beliefs in My Subjects when I was disputed with by swords points and when I needed the help of My Subjects as men no lesse then their prayers as Christians The noise of My Evill Councellours was another usefull device for those who were impatient any mens counsels but their owne should be followed in Church or State who were so eager in giving Me better counsel that they would not give Me leave to take it with freedome as a Man or honour as a King making their counsels more like a drench that must be powred down then a draught which might be fairly and leisurely drank if I liked it I will not justifie beyond humane errours and frailties My selfe or My Counsellours They might be subject to some miscariages yet such as were far more reparable by second and better thoughts than those enormous extravagances where with some men have now even wil dred and almost quite lost both Church and State The event of things at last will make it evident to My Subjects that had I followed the worst Couucels that My worst Counsellours ever had the boldnesse to offer to Me or My self any inclination to use I could not so soon have brought both Church and State in three flourishing Kingdomes to such a Chaos of confusions and Hell of miseries as some have done out of which they cannot or will not in the midst of their many great advantages redeeme either Me or My Subjects No men were more willing to complaine than I was to redresse what I saw in Reason was either done or advised amisse and this I thonght I had done even beyond the expectation of moderate men who were sorry to see me prone even to injure My self out of a Zeal to releive my Subjects But other mens insatiable desire of revenge upon Me My Court and My Clergy hath wholly beguiled both Church and State of the benefit of all My either Retractations or Concessions withall hath deprived all those now so zealous Persecutors both of the comfort reward of their former pretended persecutions wherein they so much gloryed among the vulgar and which indeed a truly humble Christian will so highly prize as rather not be relieved then be revenged so as to be bereaved of that Crowne of christian Patience which attends humble injured sufferers Another artifice used to withdraw My Peoples affections from Me to their designes was The noise and ostentation of liberty which men are not more prone to desire then unapt to bear in the popular sense which is to do what every man likes best If the Divinest liberty be to will what men should to do what they so will according to Reason Lawes and Religion I envy not My subjects that Liberty which is all I desire to enjoy My self So far am I from the desire of oppressing theirs Nor were those Lords Gentlemen which assisted Me so prodigall of their liberties as with their Lives and Fortunes to help on the enslaving of themselves and their posterities As to Civill Immunities none but such as desire to drive on their Ambitious and Covetous designes over the ruines of Church and State Prince Peers and People wil never desire greater freedoms then the Laws alow whose bounds good men count their Ornament protection others their Menacles and Opression Nor is it just any man should expect the reward benefit of the Law who despiseth its rule and direction losing justly his safety while he seeks an unreasonable liberty Time will best inform my Subjects that those are the best preserver of their true liberties who allow themselves the least licentiousness against or beyond the Laws They will feele it at last to their cost that it is impossible those men should be really tender of their fellow-Subjects libertyes who have the hardinesse to use their King with so severe restraint against all Laws both Divine and Humane under which yet I wil rather perish then complain to those who want nothing to compleat their mirth and triumph but such musick In point of true consciencious tendernes attended with humility and meeknes not with proud arrogant activity which seeks to hatch every Egge of different opinion to a Faction or Schisme I have oft declared how little I desire My Laws and Scepter should intrench on Gods Soveraignty which is the only King of mens Consciences and yet he hath laid such restraints upon men as commands them to be subject for Conscience sake giving no men liberty to break the Law established further then with meeknes and patience they are content to suffer the penalties

that speciall dignity which had extraordinary call mission gifts and power immediatly from Christ they contented themselves with the ordinary titles of Bishops and Presbyters untill use the great Arbitrator of words and Master of Language finding reason to distinguish by a peculiar name those persons whose power and office were indeed distinct from and above all other in the Church as suceeding the Apostles in the ordinary and constant power of governing the Churches the honour of whose name they moderately yet commendably declined all Christian Churches submitting to that special anthority appropriated also the name of Bishop without any suspition or reproach of arrogancy to those who were by apostolical propagation rightly descended invested into that highest largest power of governing even the most pure primitive Churches which without all doubt had many such holy Bishops after the pattern of Timothy Titus whose speciall power is not more clearly set down in those Epistles the chief grounds limits of all Episcopall claim as from divine Right then are the Characters of these perilous times those men that make them such who not enduring sound doctrine clear testimonies of all Churches practise are most perverse disputers and proud Usurpers against true Episcopacy who if they be not Traytors and Boasters yet they seem to be very covetous heady high-minded inordinate feirce lovers of themselves having much of the form litle of the power of godlines Who by popular heaps of weak light and unlearned Teachers seeke to over-lay smother the pregnancy and authority of that power of Episcopall government which beyond al equivocation vulgar fallacy of names is most convincingly set forth both by Scripture and all after-Historyes of the Church This I write rather like a Divine than a Prince that Posterity may see if ever these Papers be publick that I had fair grounds both from scripture-Canons Ecclesiasticall examples whereon My judgment was stated for Episcopall government Nor was it any policy of State or obstinacy of wil or partiality of affection either to the men or their Function which fixed Me who cannot in point of worldly respects be so considerable to me as to recompence the injuries and losses I and My dearest relations with My Kingdomes have sustained and hazarded chiefly at first upon this quarrell And not only in Religion of which Scripture is the best rule and the Churches Vniversall practice the best commentary but also in right reason and the true nature of Government it cannot be thought that an orderly Subordination among Presbyters or Ministers should be any more against Christianity then it is in all secular and civill Governments where parity breeds Confusion and Faction I can no more believe that such order is inconsistent with true Religion then good features are with beauty or numbers with harmony Nor is it likely that God who appointed severall orders and a Prelacy in the Government of his Church among the Jewish Priests should abhor or forbid them among Christian Ministers who have as much of the principles of schisme and division as other men for preventing and suppressing of which the Apostolicall wisdom which was divine after that Christians were multiplied to many Congregations and Presbyters with them appointed this way of Government which might best preserve order and union with Authority So that I conceive it was not the favour of Princes or ambition of Presbyters but the wisdome and piety of the Apostles that first setled Bishops in the Church which Authority they constantly used and injoyed in those times which were purest for Religion though sharpest for Persecution Not that I am against the managing of this presidency and authority in one man by the joynt Counsell and consent of many Presbyters I have offerd to restore that as a fit means to avoid those Errours Corruptions and Partialities which are incident to any one man Also to avoyd Tyranny which becomes no Christians least of all Church-men besides it will be a means to take away that burden and odium of afaires which may lie too heavy on one mans shoulders as indeed I think it formerly did on the Bishops here Nor can I see what can be more agreeable both to Reason and Religion then such a frame of Government which is paternall not Magisterial and wherein not only the necessity of avoyding Faction and Confusion Emulations and Cont●mps which are prone to rise among equals in power and function but also the differences of some Ministers gifts and aptitudes for Government above others doth invite to imploy them in reference to those Abilities wherein they are eminent Nor is this judgment of Mine touching Episcopacy any pre-occupation of opinion which wil not admit any oppositions against it it is well knowne I have endeavoured to satisfie my self in what the chiefe Patrons for other wayes can say against this or for theirs And I finde they have as sarr lesse of Scripture grounds and of Reason so for examples and practise of the Church or testimonies of Histories they are wholy destitute where in the whose stream runs so for Episcopacy that there is not the least rivolet for any others As for those obtruded examples of some late reformed Churches for many retain Bishops still whom necessity of times and affaires rather excuseth then commendeth for their inconformity to all Antiquity I could never see any reason why Churches orderly reformed and governed by Bishops should be forced to conforme to those few rather then to the Catholick example of all Ancient Churches which needed no Reformation and to those Churches at this day who Governed by Bishops in all the Christian world are many more then Presbyterians or Independents can pretend to be All whom the Churches in My three Kingdoms lately Governed by Bishops would equalize I think if not exceed Nor is it any point of wisdom or charity where Christians differ as many do in some points there to widen the differences at once to give all the Christian world except a handfull of some Protestants so great a scandall in point of Church-government whom though you may convince of their Errours in some points of Doctrine yet you shal never perswade them that to compleat their Reformation they must necessarily desert and wholly cast off that Government which they and all before them have ever owned as Catholick Primitive and Apostolicall So farre as never Schismaticks nor Hereticks except those Aerians have strayed from the Vnity and Conformity of the Church in that point ever having Bishops above Presbyters Besides the late generall approbation and submission to this Government of Bishops by the Clergy as well as the Laity of these Kindoms is a great confirmation of My Judgement and their inconstancy is a great prejudice against their novelty I cannot in charity so far doubt of their learning or integrity as if they understood not what heretofore they did or that they did confirme contrary to their consciences So that their

Cannon know any respect of Persons In vaine is My Person excepted by a Parenthesis of words when so many hands are armed against Me with Swords God knowes how much I have studied to se● what ground of Justice is alledged for this Wa against Me that so I might by giving just satisfaction either prevent or soone end so unnaturall a motion which to many men seem● rather the productions of a surfeit of peace an● wantonnesse of minds or of private discontents Ambition and Faction which easily find o make causes of quarrell then any reall obstructions of publick Justice or Parliamentary Priviledge But this is pretended and this I must be ab● to avoid and answer before God in My ow● Conscience however some men are not wi●ling to believe Me lest they should condem● themselves VVhen I first with drew from White-hall ● see if I could allay the insolency of the Tumul● of the not suppressing of which no account i Reason can be given where an orderly Gua● was granted but only to oppresse both Mine a● the Two Houses freedome of declaring and voting according to every mans Conscience wh● obstructions of Justice were there further the this that what seemed just to one man might n● seeme so to another VVhom did I by pow● protect against the Justice of Parliament That some men withdrew who feared t● partiality of their tryal warned by My Lo● of Straffords death while the vulgar threatned to be their Oppressors and Judgers of their judges was from that instinct which is in all creatures to preserve themselves If any others refused to appear where they evidently saw the cur rent of Iustice freedom so stopped and troubled by the Rabble that their lawfull Judges either durst not come to the houses or not declare their sense with liberty safety it cannot seem strange to any reasonable man when the sole exposing them to publick odium was enough to ruine them before the cause could be heard or tryed Had not factious Tumults overborn the Freedom and Honour of the two Houses had they asserted their Iustice against them made the way open for all the Members quietly to come and declare their Consciences I know no man so dear to Me whom I had the least inclination to advise either to withdraw himselfe or deny appearing upon their summons to whose sentence according to Law I think every Subject bound to stand Distempers indeed were risen to so great a height for want of timely repressing the vulgar insolencies that the greatest guilt of those which were Voted demanded as Delinquents was this That they would not suffer themselves o be over-aw'd with the Tumults and their Pa●ons nor compelled to abet by their suffrages ●r presence the designs of those men who agiated innovations and ruine both in Church ●●ate In this point I could not but approve their generous constancy and catiousnesse further then this I did never allow any mans refractorinesse against the Priviledges and Orders of the Houses to whom I wished nothing more then Safety Fulnesse and Freedom But the truth is some men and those not many despairing in fair and parliamentary ways by free deliberations and Votes to gain the concurrence of the Major part of Lords and Common● betook themselves by the desperate activity o factious Tumults to sift and terrifie away a● those Members whom they saw to be of contrary minds to their purposes How oft was the businesse of the Bishops enjoying their Ancient places and undoubted Priviledges in the House of Peers carried for the● by far the Major part of Lords Yet after fi● repulses contrary to all Order and Custome ● was by tumultuary instigations obtruded again and by a few carried when most of the Pee● were forced to absent themselvs In like manner was the Bill against Root a● Branch brought on by tumultuary Clamours ● schismaticall Terrours which could never pas● till both houses were sufficiently thinned a● over-awed To which Partiality while in all re●son Justice and Religion My conscience forb● Me by consenting to make up their Votes ● Acts of Parliament I must now be urged wi● an Army and constrained either to hazard M owne and My Kingdoms ruins by My Defence or prostrate My Conscience to the blind obedience of those men whose zealous superstition thinks or pretends they cannot do God and the Church a greater service than utterly to destroy that Primitive Apostolicall and anciently Universall Government of the Church by Bishops Which if other mens Iudgements bind them to maintaine or forbids them to consent to the abolishing of it Mine much more who besides the grounds I have in My Iudgement have also a most strikt and indispensable Oath upon My Conscience to preserve that Order and the Rights of the Church to which most Sacrilegious and abhorred Perjury most un-beseeming a Christian King should I ever by giving My consent be betrayed I should account it infinitely greater misety then any hath or can befall Me in as much as the least sinne hath more evill in it then the greatest affliction Had I gratified their Anti-episcopall Faction at first in this point with My consent and sacrificed the Ecclesiasticall Government and Revenues to the fury of their covetousnesse ambition and Revenge I believe they would then have found no colourable necessity of raising an Army to fetch in and punish Delinquents That I consented to the Bill of putting the Bishops out of the House of Peers was done with a firme perswasion of their contentedn● to suffer a present diminution in their Rights and Honour for My sake and the Common weals which I was confident they would readily yeeld unto rather then occasion by the lea● obstruction on their part any dangers to Me o to My Kingdome That I cannot adde My consent for the totall extirpation of that Government which I have often offered to all fit regulations hath so much further tie upon My Conscience as what I think Religious and Apostolicall and so very Sacred and Divine as no to be dispensed with or destroyed when what ● only of civill Favor and priviledge of Hono● granted to men of that Order may with the● consent who are concerned in it be annu● led This is the true state of those obstruction pretended to be in point of Justice and Authority of Parliament when I call God to witne● I knew none of such consequence as was wort speaking of a VVarre being only such as J●stice Reason and Religion had made in My ow and ther mens Consciences Afterwards indeed a great shew of Delinquents was made which were but conseque●ces necessarily following upon Mine or other withdrawing from or defence against vi●lence but those could not be the first occasion of raising an Army against Me. VVherein was so far from preventing them as the have declared often that they might seeme to have the advantage and Justice of the defensive part and load Me with all the envy injuries of first assaulting them

undermining their opinion value of Me My enemies and theirs too might at once blow up their affections and batter down their loyalty Wherein yet I thank God the detriment of My Honour is not so afflictive to Me as the sin and danger of My peoples souls whose eye once blinded with such mists of suspicions they are soon mis-led into the most desperate precipices of actions wherein they do not only not consider their sin and danger but glory in their zealous adventures while I am rendred to them so fit to be destroyed that many are ambitious to merit the name of My Destroyers imagining they then fear God most when they least honor their King I thank God I never found but My pity was above My anger nor have My passions ever so prevailed against Me as to exclude My most compassionate prayres for them whom devout errours more than their own malice have betraied to a most religious Rebellion I had the Charity to interpret that most pa●● of My Subjects fought against My supposed errours not My Person and intended to mend Me not to end Me And I hope that God pardoning their Errours hath so farre accepted and answered their good intentions that as he hath yet preserved Me so he hath by these afflictions prepared Me both to doe him better service and My people more good than hitherto I hav●don I doe not more willingly forgive their seductions which occasioned their loyall injuries then I am ambitious by all Princely merits to redeem them from their unjust suspicions and reward them for their good intentions I am too conscious to My own Affections toward the generality of My people to suspect theirs to Me nor shall the malice of My Enemies ever be able to deprive Me of the comfort which that confidence gives Me I shall never gratifie the spightfulnesse of a few with any sinister thoughts of all their Allegiance whom pious frauds have seduced The worst some mens ambition can do shall never perswade Me to make so bad interpretations of most of My Subjects actions who possibly may be Erroneous but no● Hereticall in point of Loyaltie The sense of the Injuries done unto My Subjects is as sharp as those done to My selfe our welfares being inseparable in this onely they suffer more then My selfe that they are animated by some seducers to injure at once both themselves and Me. For this is not enough to the malice of My enemyes that I be afflicted but it must be don by such instruments that My afflictions grieve Me not more then this doth that I am afflicted by those whose prosperity I earnestly desire whose seduction I heartily deplore If they had been My open and forreign Enemies I could have born it but they must be My own Subjects who are next to My Children dear to Me And for the restoring of whose tranquility I could willingly be the Ionah If I did not evidently fore-see that by the divided Interests of their Mine enemies as by contrary winds the storm of their miseries would be rather encreased then allayed I had rather prevent my peoples ruine then rule over them nor am I so ambitious of that Dominion which is but My Right as of their happinesse if it could expiate or countervaile such a way of obtaining it by the highest injuries of Subjects committed against their Soveraign Yet I had rather suffer all the miseries of life and dy many deaths then shamefully to desert or dishonourably to betray My own just rights and Soveraignty thereby to gratify the ambition or justifie the malice of My Enemies between whose malice and other men mistakes I put as great a difference as betweene an ordinary AGUE and the PLAGUE or th● Itch of Novelty and the Leprosie of Disloyalty As Lyars need have good Memories so Malicious Persons need good inventions That their calumnies may fit every mans fancy and what their reproaches want of truth they may make up with number and shew My patience I thank God will better serve Me to bear and My charity to forgive then My leisure to Answer the many false Aspersions which some men have cast upon Me. Did I not more consider My Subjects Satisfaction then my own Vindication I should never have given the malice of some men that pleasure as to see Me take notice of or remember what they say or object I would leave the Authors to be punished by their own evil manners and seared Consciences which will I beleive in a shorter time then they be aware of both confute and revenge all those black and false scandals which they have cast on Me And make the world see there is as little truth in them as there was little worth in the broaching of them or Civility I need not say Loyalty in the not-suppressing of them whose credit reputation even with the People shall ere long be quite blasted by the breath of that same fornace of popular obloquy and detraction which they have studied to heat and inflame to the highest degree of infamy wherein they have sought to cast and consume My Name and Honour First nothing gave Me more cause to suspect and search My owne Innocency then when I observed so many forward to engage against Me who had made great professions of singular piety For this gave to vulgar minds so bad a reflection upon Me and My Cause as if it had been impossible to adhere to Me and not withall part from God to think or speak well of Me and not to Blaspheme Him so many were perswaded that these two were utterly inconsistent to be at once Loyall to Me and truly Religious toward God Not but that I had I thank God many with Me which were both Learned and Religious much above that ordinary size and that vulgar proportion wherein some men glory so much who were so well satisfied in the cause of My sufferings that they chose rather to suffer with Me then forsake Me. Nor is it strange that so religious Pretensions as were used against me should be to many wel-minded Men a great temptation to oppose Me Especially being urged by such popular Preachers as think it no sin to lie for God and what they please to call Gods Cause cursing all that will not curse with them looking so much at and crying up the goodnesse of the end propounded that they consider not the lawfullnesse of the means used nor the depth of the mischief chiefly plotted and intended The weaknesse of these mens judgements must be made up by their clamours and activity It was a great part of some mens Religion to scandalize Me Mine they thought theirs could not be true if they cried not down Mine as false I thank God I have had more triall of his grace as to the constancy of My Religion in the Protestant Profession of the Church of England both abroad and at home than ever they are like to have Nor do I know any exception I am so liable