Selected quad for the lemma: law_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
law_n	court_n	judge_n	king_n	8,575	5	4.2268	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26455	Advice to Protestant dissenters shewing 'tis their interest to repeal the Test, upon the offer the King makes by a firm settlement of liberty.		1688 (1688)	Wing A648B; ESTC R39886	5,050	12

Advice TO PROTESTANT DISSENTERS Shewing 'T is their Interest to Repeal the Test upon the offer the King makes by a firm settlement of Liberty PENAL LAWS are of so ill a Consequence in the Hands of any Party and so uneasie to be parted with by that which predominates that 't is discretion in Dissenters to take this oppertunity for the Repeal now we have a Prince to joyn with us to do it when such an oppertunity may offer again is uncertain therefore to imbrace this will be their Interest at the next Sessions for upon better terms we are not like to obtain it because we have a Prince that wants it for his own Communion But 't will be Objected The Penal Laws will readily be consented to but that cannot be done without we take off the Test too the consequence of which will be greater Prejudice then the inconveniency of keeping the Penal Laws how that will appear when we consider the King has promised a settlement that is unalterable and indeed 't is his Wisdom so to do if he values the Liberty of his own Religion in an after Raign which may fall out to be in an Aversion to Popery that may then endeavour the suppressing it again 'T is from or however cannot be without the consent of the King that we must have this Liberty Is it equal to expect it from him without giving his Community the same Advantages Shall we ask that of him that we will not allow his 't is unfair Besides the Test in the nature of it is unreasonable because it puts a Man upon a temptation to deny that which he believes he cannot be saved without believing It may be Objected It only hinders them from getting or keeping in Offices If no more then that 't is unreasonable for 't will amount to nothing short of Persecution As for Example Suppose a Protestant has a Place in the Government worth Five Hundred pound a Year nothing but his Place to Live on upon reading Books or hearing Sermons or discoursing Papists he is perswaded to their Faith and so cannot take the Test upon his refusal he is turned out and render'd uncapable of procuring Maintenance for his Family if this is not a suffering for Conscience I know not what is Again since our Laws does not prohibit a Roman Catholick from being Heir to the Crown why should they be denyed having those of their Family or Guard of the same By our Laws none of that Perswasion can come near the Court for fear of endangering the Kings Person now who is the most sutuable Judge of the Kings Safety either himself or a part of his People I think all must allow him or else we act against our daily Experience and Practice for who of us would not chuse Servants for our selves By this we may see when things are made partial and not upon a Foundation of Equity and short of doing as one would be done by that one time or other it returns upon us 'T is an ill thing to Test upon Peoples Religious Perswasions if we must have them let it be upon an honest Foot viz. For the renouncing any evil Principle that is either immorral or pernitious to the State and then if any Man refuse to subscribe let him be dealt with accordingly this would be justifiable Why should any Dissenters boggle at the Repeal of the Test when 't will never be done but with them if so surely they have Wisdom enough to make things secure for the Protestant Interest and their own Security in a full enjoyment of their Religion Cannot they consider of such a method that may for the future secure us from any attemps that may be made upon the violation of that general Settlement 't is agreed on all Hands that Law only can secure us which makes our Test so great a Bulwork then if Law can secure us why may not the Wisdom of a Parliament think of another Security that may be more universal for to be sure that which takes in all Parties into its Interest is the best Policy for if any Party is excluded that to be sure will attempt upon invading the safety of the rest and if any one of these united Parties are Predominate the excluded will endeavour to work in with some or one of the Interests upon promise of bettering them that they may assist to exterpate that Association but if our Settlement is Universal and that no one Perswasion can Predominate but all in one united Interest if any Party should through Ambition desire to break this civil Bond and try to set up for themselves all the rest would joyn against any such attempt and through the disproportion of Number must of consequence be defeated so that upon the whole nothing can brake this general Liberty that is equally settled but Force and there can be no stronger Fence against that then Unity and Universallity It is the Interest of the Roman Catholicks to accept of this and be content with it being the only Policy they can use for their own Safety because they know their Number is but small and not able of themselves to do any thing that may procure them a better Settlement Now for People that really are for Liberty in Religion before hand to determine that the King will not concede to such a Settlement in Parliament I think be-speaks them void of Charity Was it the intent of any Protestants to give up the Test without an Equivolent but rely upon Promises that afterwards the Settlement should be made there would appear some grounds of Jealousie but as yet I never saw the Man that was so inclined but that which Repealed the one should Ratifie and Confirm the other if so then where 's the Trust I find there is a sort of People among Dissenters that harps upon this Point I presume they are such in whom the Church of England have by their skill prevailed upon by their Insinuations 'T is true a Man would not stop his Ears from any thing that was reasonable from any one but a wise Man would be very cautious of his Adversary or one that speaks from private Interest one if not both of these that Church will be found in as to the first I need not go far for proof their Severity when they had Power sufficiently proves it and their being now unwilling to part with it in a Parliamentary way confirms it As to the second part Private Interest first 't is certain they gain nothing by this Liberty for theirs is Established and the giving it to others will lesten them for if theirs is a reform from Popery the Dissenters are a reform from them Again shall we take the fair Offers of an Enemy that may never be capable if willing to perform what they promise rather then imbrace the present Kindness of the King who offers Liberty upon our own terms viz. lasting and unalterable by no meanes Providence has cast it unexpectedly upon