Selected quad for the lemma: king_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
king_n	able_a	authority_n	power_n	889	4	4.4645	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77431	A brief discourse of the present miseries of the kingdome: declaring by what practises the people of England have been deluded, and seduced into slavery, and how they have been continued therein, and by what meanes they may shake off that bondage, they are now enthraled under. / Written by a lover of his country, for the good of all such who are not contented to be slaves, but desire to live free-men.	Lover of his country.	1648 (1648)	Wing B4583; Thomason E467_24; ESTC R205268	21,615	31

contrary to the Oath He took at His Coronation Whether you gave them Authority to imprison Him c Aske them whether you gave them Authority to overthrow all Lawes according to their will and pleasure and to usurpe to themselves nay to exceede Regall power and to dispose of your Persons and Estates as they think fit Ask them for an account of all the Mony they have raised out of your Estates Ask them concerning all things that have been done amisse in the Kingdome during their raigne either by their command or tolleration and if they cannot give you very good satisfaction in all the particulars proceed against them as guilty of the breach of the trust you reposed in them and punish them according to their deserts or if in Clemency you think fit to pardon them at least remove them from their Rule and Government and let not those who have so ill behaved themselves in the discharge of their trust be any longer employed by you but humbly desire His Majesty to call another Parliament and desire that you may have free leave to chuse new Members in whose honesty you have better hopes This may be a way to re-setle the Kingdome and restore our Peace else we shall all be miserable for if these Parliament men continue to governe us who have designed themselves Princes and us their Slaves what can we expect but by our own consents to be made despicable It was the cunning of the Church of Rome when she intended to become Catholique rule over all her sister Churches when she introduced novell superstitions which she was taxed for and could not justifie She still maintained her errors by the power she invested her self withall which was that what the Church declared either in doctrine or discipline ought not to be contradicted or disputed for the Church of Rome was the sole interpreter of Scriptures and where they were not able by their glosses and interpretations to justifie and defend their Tenents they had un-written tradictions which on all occasions supported their doctrines Is it not so with the Parliament I meane the House of Commons for that usurpes the whole power of the Parliament the Lords being become no ciphers but blankes in their accounts doe not they invest themselves with a Soveraigne power apropriating sole dominion unto themselves and that nothing is Law but what they declare to be so and if any act of theirs be questioned to be done contrary to the knowne Law have they not an unknowne Law one of their unwritten verities which are as necessary and usefull as the Popish traditions to justifie them in their erronious proceeding have they not their Parliament priviledges which is their Catholocon a medicine for all diseases a principall help at Mawe by which they alwayes with the prize for by vertue of this mistery of iniquity they defend and maintaine all their illegall actions and are protected from all inquiry into their proceedings by telling the people it is a breach of their Priviledges But I wish the same course were taken with the Parliament that our Protestant Divines tooke with the Church of Rome to enquire when those superstructures were built in the Church so when these Priviledges were begotten in the Parliament and then it would appear that those priviledges were illegitimate begotten by Rebellious parents and nurs'd up in factious times and that the Law of the Land neither ownes them nor knowes them Let the Parliament be required to produce some good authors that have aunciently written concerning their fundamentall Laws which they so often mention and of their unbounded Priviledges which they so often make use of that the people may know that they are not their owne inventions that they are not fictions and chimaer as to delude the vulgar and to disguise the truth and bluster out their owne iniquities Let them shew how an Ordinance becomes a Law or is able to destroy the Law Let them declare where that priviledge is that protects a Parliament man to commit Fellony or Treason and that it is a breach of priviledge to indict him for it Let them produce Records that are authenticall that divdes the power from the Person of the King and incorporates that Power into the House of Commons Let them shew in any times that the House of Commons ever disposed of the Militia of the Kingdome usurp'd authority to make Peace or War and to contract leagues with forraigne States to condemne or pardon to make Judges to dispose of the Kings Revenue to Imprison the King Himselfe c. Nay was it ever heard or read of that a Speaker of the House of Commons an inconsiderable contemptible person for his birth and breeding should arrogate to himself and assume by the permission of that House the ensignes of Regall Authority and usurpe the Kings Chaire and cloth of State and give publique audience to Ambassadours Oh unheard-of arrogance never to be parallel'd by precedent or future presidents and cannot be exceeded unlesse by that of the Devill who attempted to be like the highest Let these exorbitances suffice to put the Kingdome in minde what pressures have been put upon them what usurpations the two Houses but especially the House of Commons have injustly arrogated to themselves and then let them consider how they are rob'd of their just rights and into what a slavery they are inthral'd and whether they have not slept those years past whilst the Devil and his instruments have sown these tares amongst their good corne and so spoil'd the plentifull harvest they hoped to reape by this Parliament and that they must be compell'd to hazard to pluck up the tares though therewith the good corne be endangered for the field must be clensed to sow and prepare for a new crop else in a short time the people of this Kingdome will be starved for want of Bread I could enlarge my selfe further on this subject for there is no want of matter to swell this discourse into a volume but I resolved not to make my Country-men more miserable by enumerating too many of their miseries or by paraphrasing on them Rhetorically argue them into too deep a sense of their Sufferings it shall suffice me if they become sensible of their present condition and thereby endeavour a Manumission from their Slavery that they remember what they were what they are and what they ought to be and as true borne English-men shake off their Fetters with the same hands they have imposed them depose the Tyrant Parliament and Re-inthrone their lawfull Soveraigne expell Rebellious Presbytery and establish moderate and limited Episcopacy provide for tender consciences who will conforme in obedience to Civill Magistracy and then no doubt we shall returne to a setled Government and Peace will be restored with plenty and we shall againe be a happy and united people as formerly under our gracious King whom God preserve FINIS

Prince in opposition to the French King would be able at any time to give a stop to his increase of Empery and restraine his enlargement of Dominion which this Cardinall aymed at And for that cause he covetously embraced this occasion offered by the Scots refusall of our Booke of Common-Prayer and presently endeavours to insinuate the Auncient League between their Nations how willing the French would be to assist them in the defence of their Religion Laws and Liberties But the Language which the Scots best understood was the French crownes for that wise States man well knew how little gold was generated in that cold climate and how affected that Nation was to that mettall for he believed they might be purchased not onely to forfeit their Allegeance but to sell their God for that coyne And therefore he subtilely dispersed his crownes amongst their poor Nobility who received them with condition of Rebellion but yet durst not enter openly into an hostile opposition of their Kings commands untill they were assured of a party in England and therefore the Puritanicall party of this Kingdome must be tamper'd withall and accordingly were and found right for their turne but these were but of the meaner sort of people and such as were not able to raise any considerable power to countenance their undertakings And therefore it was necessary that some eminent Lords should be drawne into the Plot of which there were not many that were Puritannically affected and therefore they must seeke to gaine such who were discontented because they were not countenanced and enjoyed offices and honours at Court to which their ambitions prompted them This was by the industry of these men effected and accordingly divers of the Nobillty were wrought upon to be of this party of which I beleeve divers of them who look't not into the depth of this Conspiracy have since heartily repented seeing and now knowing what instruments they were made to contribute to the ruine of this Kingdome But they understood His Majesty had money in his purse and was beforehand with the world and untill that was wasted and He become poor there was no hope of bringing Him to comply with their ends and therefore there must be a shew of War before a reall War and for this reason His Majesty must be perswaded to carry an Army to the borders of Scotland to compell the Scots to conformity and there He must have instruments to perswade Him to lye still untill His stock of money was spent Treating and making and receiving overtures of Peace which at last was concluded and the observation thereof solemnely protested to continue so long untill their Brethren in England were ready to assist them and then the Religious Scots had liberty to breake all Oathes and Protestations and Rebell againe And so shortly after they enter into England with a pretence to Petition His Majesty but not to fight but for their safety This Petition must be presented by an Army and this Army must possesse themselves of Townes in England and must have all things granted unto them which they could possibly desire within the Kingdome of Scotland and this must be confirmed unto them by Acts of Parliament wherein His Majesty must divest Himselfe of all Regall power and give up all into the hands of His Scottish Subjects to be at their disposall which could not have been an ill bargaine for His Majesty if He had had but some tye upon them to make good the compact for if an Earth-quake should swallow up those that are perfidious of that Nation it could be no losse unto the Crowne of England unto which they have ever been false and burthen-some For what was there wanting to that Nation that they could desire from their native King His bounty affection and protection they were sufficiently sensible of if they could be sensible of benefits but nothing can obliege them to hold their faith or become gratefull These Scots being in a hostile manner entred the Kingdome whom all good Subjects were bound to oppose and resist it was so far from that that those Souldiers which His Majestie raised for that purpose were disheartned and discouraged in their undertakings and their Officers branded with the names of Papists and the Souldiers encouraged to mutiny against their Commanders The Scots being Invaders were welcomed and to make it good that they were Invited into the Kingdome they were well recompensed for their paines And no doubt this money was given them that they might be ready on all occasions to enter the Kingdome againe when the Parliament should call for them to second and assist them in their attempts against His Majesty For truely now the Parliament have a very faire pretence to challenge the same grants from His Majesty that the Scots have obtained and they are sure of their Brethrens assistance for they desire that this Kingdome should be as far engaged in Rebellion as themselves for by that being become equall sharers in iniquity they are thereby mutually obliged to potect and preserve each other against the power of the King whom they are bound to oppose and suppresse lest His justice enabled by power should overtake and punish their Trayterous Rebellion The Scots being now gone out of England and His Majesty having been in Scotland and there according to His promises confirmed all by Act of Parliament as aforesaid He returned hither to assure His subjects here that He was willing to do for them whatsoever they could demand for the good of the Common-wealth and by the presidents of having already condiscended unto more then ever any of His Ancestors did for the Subjects they are not at all stirred up to a gratitude for His grace and favour already conferr'd but are thereby encouraged to make greater and higher demands and must now invest themselves with all Regall power and authority and His Majesty must be but a cipher whilst they rule governe order and dispose all things at their pleasure And that they may the better gull and abuse the people and so lead them on to beleeve in them they must in generals traduce the whole government the Church they must bespatter with Popery and therein all decency must be accounted Superstition and the Bishops who laboured for uniformity and punisht non-conformists must be branded with the names of Popish innovators and the chief crimes laid to their chare was Church Ornaments which they styled ragges of the whore of Babell Sure if God had commanded these reformers to have built the Tabernacle or the Sanctuary they would not have obeyed him but told him he was Popishly affected and would have built him a Temple after their owne fancies and imaginations The Church being now the object of their furious zeale the wisdome of this grave Senate is not bound to particularize the faults therein for so they might come to be disputed and might either in the reason and opinion of the people prove no faults or else by that

fowlest impieties and the most irreligious practises the basis and foundation of all their structure publique faith they have prostituted like a common whore and taught her to pick the pockets of her fornicators Lying and perjury hath been the untempered morter they have dawb'd withall Murder Theft and Rapine hath been the chiefe materials they have wrought withall But lest you should imagine me too invective although I speake nothing but the truth I will give you my observations of the difference betweene the present and preceding times wherein if every indifferent understanding be not able to discover a remarkable disparity and how we are declin'd into a much worse condition then formerly we enjoyed I must conclude he wilfully shuts the eyes of his reason lest he should be made sensible of that ignorance he hath lived in or be found guilty of conniving at those plots and practices which during this Parliament have been used to ruine and destroy his Country It were enough to let you see the difference if I onely tell you the Kingdome before this Parliament enjoy'd peace and that it is now embroyled with a Civill War but I shall addresse my selfe more particularly to each mans understanding and in the first place I shall begin with our Religion which was so reform'd and setled in this Kingdome as that it was an honour unto our Nation a fear and terror unto the Romish party and the hope and wish of all Protestant Churches beyond the Seas that they might be rendred in a capacity to imitate us for we had excluded the novell introductions and superstitious fopperies of the Papists and yet retained a decency of order Divine worship in our Churches such as would not admit of parity to confound or fancy to disturbe the wel-composed harmony in the government of the Church That God who is the God of Order and is delighted in it as appeares by the consent and union in the Creation and disposing of all things was here served with Order and Reverence Humility was the Garment we put on when we entred into the holy places exprest by our humble Gestures and civill Comportment in the time and place of Adoration and each degree according to his eminency had that duty and respect payed him which was due according to the superiority of his calling from his inferior and subordinate Officers A remedy was provided for each inconvenience and no crime could escape unpunished unlesse by the corruption of the Judge and that nothing can prevent for whilst Jugdes are men some of them will still be wicked and corrupt and private passions and interests will lead them to connive at offences or to passe indirect and unjust Sentences according to their affections and relations We had as many eminent and learned men in the Kingdom as any Age ever produced and the Vniversities and Innes of Court as flourishing in their severall Professions as ever they were The Word and the Sword Religion and Justice were equally administred through the Kingdom each man knew where and how to pray according to the Patterne and Forme prescribed by our Saviour and to joyne with united hearts and voices in the most sacred and best composed Lyturgie of the world The first rudiments of Christian Religion were learned by heart by being only Auditors and Assistans at our Church service The Lords Prayer the Greed and the ten Commandements which are the principles of Christian Religion was a part of our Lyturgie and we are daily taught how to praise God for the benefits we had and did daily receive and how to pray unto him for the supply of our wants And sure on these two maine pillars of Praise and Prayer the structure of Religion is erected This was the Sacrifice we offered three or four times a day in our Cathedrals and at least as many times a week by injunction in our ordinary Churches and now this sacred Offertory which by Act of Parliament was Enjoyned by Ordinance is Abolished as if it were a crime to serve God in any other forme or method then the two Houses shall prescribe Instead of this Decency and Vniformity what confusion is introduced is obvious to every man how these divine Collects are enforced to give place to extempore Nonsence and the admirable composed Prayers extracted out of the most patheticall parts of the Scripture must be banished the Church whilst Heresies and Blasphemies are planted within the walls of the Church whereby whole Congregations are infected and become Separatists in their tenents Pious Religious and Orthodox Ministers are Voted out of their Free-holds and violently ejected because they will not be perjured and conforme to worship the Presbyterian Idol or the Independent Monster these novell Reformers would set up And in the Cures of these Reverend Divines for the most part ignorant Non-conformists and factious Schismatiques are placed by which they have new modell'd the Church and setled therein fit Chaplains for such Patrons who must instruct the people to believe nothing to be Orthodox Divinity but what they read unto them out of a Parliament Ordinance or a City Diurnall And if they can but continue the people in this slavish Ignorance to forget their duty to God and their Loyalty to the King and to submit by an implicite faith to the power of the Parliament then their great work is done for all their great labour is to keep up their Diana the Parliament and to keep the people from knowing that it is the Devill that utters those Oracles which are vented from that Shrine But sure the Bloud of those Martyrs who have suffered for good Consciences and have either dyed in Prisons or for want been starved abroad being unjustly robbed by these mercilesse men of all their Estates and Lively-hoods cry loud for vengeance and will one day awaken the patience of our long suffering God And draw down his revenging wrath on these counterfeit Zealots and impious Hypocrites who have indeed really no Religion but only make use of that sacred Cloak to disguise all their villany For what have these great Reformers done but introduced will-worship into the Church and Lawlesnesse in the Common-wealth For who can now discover the face of any Church in this Kingdome where every severall Congregation use a distinct forme of worship and where there is no Coercive power to compell Vniformity in Doctrine or to punish Deformity in manners The sacred Scripture is profaned and by the Liberty each man appropriates to himself to Interpret according to his own Fancy or rather to apply that divine writing to serve for the advancing his own designes the sense thereof is so inverted by these Scripturists who use it no other wayes then the Devill did to intrap circumvent their hearers so that those divine Oracles which were bequeath'd us to instruct us in the right way to Heaven are by these lying Prophets become by-paths that lead to destruction Our Lawes which are each Subjects Birth-right how