Selected quad for the lemma: parliament_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
parliament_n	england_n	great_a	scotland_n	2,981	5	7.9820	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A95618	A lamentable representation of the effects of the present toleration. Especially as to the increase of blasphemy and damnable errours by the liberty of teaching and printing of them, to the great damage of religion, and the provoking the Lord Jesus to destroy the present government, and to inflict ruine and desolation upon these nations. Together with a proposal of some good work for Christian legislators. Humbly laid at the feet of His Highness the Lord Protector, and every member of the High Court of Parliament. / By a friend of true reformation, and his native countrey.	U.T.	1656 (1656)	Wing T64; Thomason E891_5; ESTC R203702	18,662	32

A Lamentable REPRESENTATION of the Effects of the present TOLERATION ESPECIALLY As to the increase of Blasphemy and Damnable Errours by the Liberty of Teaching and Printing of them to the great Damage of RELIGION and the provoking the Lord JESUS to destroy the present Government and to inflict Ruine and Desolation upon these NATIONS Together with a Proposal of some good Work for Christian Legislators Humbly laid at the feet of His Highness the Lord PROTECTOR and every Member of the High Court of PARLIAMENT By a Friend of true Reformation and his Native Countrey LONDON Printed by A. M. for Thomas Underhill at the Anchor and Bible in Pauls Church-yard 1656. TO His Highness OLIVER Lord PROTECTOR AND THE Knights Citizens and Burgesses convened in PARLIAMENT at Westminster High and mighty Sirs THese things hereafter following concern you above all men in the world the reward from God of good Laws against evil and for the promoting of goo shall be the Law makers besides their share in the common benefit of them The sin of not making good Laws against sin will be yours and all the sins that shall be committed by others for want of such Laws will be yours and therefore also a larger share in the common calamities ensuing if having opp●rtunity you notwithstanding on it the same And how often doth God punish a people for the sins of their Rulers How then can I hold my peace being convinced that to speak is my duty and yet love God You or my Countrey Almost every individual man of you when occasion is offereed being apart among your friends I presume approves of most of the things moved for in these papers Oh that God would keep those evil spirits out of your Assembly that may hinder you being met together to speak them thrice over into a Law that may be heard all the world over and that may sufficiently evidence that in England we have a Christian Protestant Protector and Parliament Certainly the sincere promoting of Christs interest is the surest bulwark to a Nation What Princes Governments People did God ever destroy but he upbraided them or might have done with falsness to him and his interest I move no for persecuting the Godly the Sons of Zion the Generation of the Righteous but for the punishment of apparent evil doers that are Gods and your enemies at least that they may be hindred from ruining the souls of others mention not small matters but such as consist not with Godliness in the same subject nor with the peace and welfare of Church or State Shall such be tolerated The Letter from the General meeting of Officers at James's to all the Souldiers Jan. 28. 1652. profess their desire of protection in worship to be given only to all the truly godly they plead for none else If the Laws against prophane swearing and Sabbath-breaking be good the you would do well to make Laws against other as great or greater breaches of the first Table or else repeal the former What shall what can men say or think if the Protector and Parliament meet and fit and rise and part without acting for Christ against Hell and Rome in such a time as this when the powers of both are set upon destroying us with damnable Doctrines and Divisions If holy Jewel Cartwright Raynolds Whitaker Perkins Preston Ball Dod Sibs of Old England and Cotton and Hooker of New should rise from the dead and see what abominations are allowed of in this Land with what a torrent Blasphemy Errour and Prophaneness runne over these Nations without any effectual controll they could not but question What men govern'd England of what Nation of what ●eligion they were of And what was become of the children of those who through their Ministry were principled with sound Judgments and Zeal for God Most honoured Sirs Shall I fancy this attempt of mine bold and dangerous No for it's Duty and service to you However I conceive a man is not capable of suffering in a better Cause I have great hopes that the great God in whose hands are the hearts of Kings and Rulers is so dealing with the heart of the Lord Protectors Highness and the members of the Parliament that they will not speak a word for the interest of the grand enemies of mankinde but readily own and promote any motion that so nearly tends to the advancement of the Interest of Christ to the furtherance of the Gospel And that God hath brought you together at this time to be the repairers of our breaches Blessed be God for the great mercies his people enjoy under and by means of the present Government The Lord incline you to make up what is wanting I have not let a word fall of disapproving your joyning together as one in acting for the Civil Welfare of the present Government and of these Nations against all the enemies thereof whether domestick or forreign My fear of Gods blasting all such endeavours if these greater things be neglected put me upon this attempt I pray unto God that you may approve your selves Nursing Fathers to his people under you and that you may not suffer wicked Nurses pretending to be feeders of Souls to give them poyson in stead of the sincere milk of the Word Your Remembrancer at the throne of Grace U.T. A Lamentable Representation of the Effects of the present TOLERATION I Am not ignorant or insensible how strange the thoughts and different the expectations of men will be at first sight concerning the Contents of these few following pages But I am not in the least solicitous how to please any but profit all I come not with the fictions of distempered brains or to promote any of the parties of this divided Age but in the words of Truth and plainness to propound matter of Universal concernment to all the Inhabitants of these three Nations of England Scotland and Ireland who have any love to the Kingdom of Christ on Earth and have any hopes of being received into his Kingdom of heaven that have any bowels of affection towards the souls of their Countreymen or the little children of their loyns especially the great ones The Lord Protector the Parliament the Councel of State and the Commanders of the Army all that are not given up to such ignorance and heedlesness in observance as not to see the present evils and the danger we are in of Gods destroying us or that like Gallio regard not these things O that they would consider what a lamentable Condition these Nations are in not only in respect of the present evils that are upon us but also of the symptoms of utter ruine to the present Government the Laws of the Land and true Christianity it self besides some sweeping plague or other from the hand of an angry God upon so wicked a people and set themselves every man in his place to stand in the gap to keep off the miseries that are coming upon us Who of us can plead ignorance of

an Order to Sr Christopher Pack Lord Maior of London to cause Biddle to be apprehended which was honestly done by the Marshal of the City and thereupon a City-Officer was sent to acquaint the Honourable Councel that Biddle was apprehended and to know their further pleasure in the Case who returned such an answer as gave encouragement for the prosecuting of him at the Common Law Whereupon the Ordinance of the 2d of May 1648. entituled An Ordinance of the Lords and Commons for the punishing of Blasphemies and Heresies was pitcht upon as the only Law in force that would reach him if any for other Law against Blasphemy none could be found since the way of Convicting a Blasphemer by Bishops was at an end except that against the Ranters which would not reach him And according to that Ordinance process was made one being bound to prosecute did exhibit these two Indictments against him London ss At the Gaol Delivery of Newgate holden for the City of London at Justice-Hall in the Old Bailey London On Wednesday the fifth day of September In the Year of our Lord One thousand six hundred fifty and five London ss THe Jurors for the Lord Protector of the Common-wealth of England Scotland and Ireland c. upon their Oaths do present that John Biddle of London Gent not having the fear of God in his heart nor the Laws of England any whit regarding the four and twentieth day of March In the Year of our Lord One thousand six hundred fifty and five at London That is to say in the Parish of Gregories in the Ward of Faringdon within London aforesaid out of his Devillish minde and Imagination falsly willingly and feloniously did devise compose and write a certain Heretical and Blasphemous Book entituled A two fold Catechism The one a Scripture-Catechism the other A brief Scripture Catechism for Children In which said Book amongst other things the said John Biddle then that is to say the said four and twentieth day of March in the said Year of our Lord one thousand six hundred fifty and four at the Parish and Ward afore-said falsly Devillishly and Feloniously did write put assert affirm and maintain That God is not present in all places doth not know and for● kn●w all things That the Father the Son and the holy Ghost are not one Eternal God That Christ is not God equal with the Father That the Godhead and Manhood of Christ are not several Natures That the death of Christ is not meritorious in behalf of Believers And the same Book afterwards that is to say the said four and twentieth day of March in the Year of our Lord One thousand six hundred fifty and four there with the said Errours Heresies and Blasphemies aforesaid therein contained falsly willingly devillishly and feloniously did imprint and publish and caused to be imprinted and published with the intent to spread abroad within this Commonwealth of England the Errours Heresies and Blasphemies aforesaid to the high Dishonour of Almighty God to the great Danger of the growth and spreading of Heresie and Blasphemy within the Commonwealth of England in Contempt of the Laws of England against the Form of an Ordinance of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament for the publishing of Blasphemies and Heresies made published and set forth on Tuesday the second day of May In the Year of our Lord One thousand six hundred fourty and eight and against the Publick Peace c. SADLER London ss At the Gael-Delivery of Newgate holden for the City of London at Justice-Hall in the Old Bailey London On Wednesday the fifth day of September In the Year of our Lord One thousand six hundred fifty and five London ss THe Jurors for the Lord Protector of the Common-wealth of England Scotland and Ireland c. upon their Oaths do present that John Biddle late of London Gent. not having the fear of God in his heart nor the Laws of England any whit regarding the eight and twentieth day of June In the Year of our Lord One thousand six hundred fifty and five at London That is to say in the Parish of Faiths in the Ward of Faringdon within London aforesaid by Teaching publickly in the presence and hearing of very many people then and there present Unlawfully Willingly Obstinately Devillishly and Feloniously did maintain and publish That Jesus Christ is not God And that Jesus Christ is not equal with God the Father To the high Dishonour of Almighty God to the great Danger of the growth and spreading of Heresie and Blasphemy within this Commonwealth of England in Contempt of the Laws of England against the Form of an Ordinance of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament for the punishing of Blasphemies and Heresies made published and set forth on Tuesday the second day of May In the Year of our Lord One thousand six hundred fourty and eight and against the Publick Peace c. SADLER The Bils being found by the Grand Inquest the Tryal began Witnesses ready Among whom an eminent and worthy Gentleman of Publick Place was one to evidence That a Book which he brought with him from the Parliament Records that contained all the Blasphemies charged upon him in the first Indictment was that very individual Book which he owned at the Barre of the last Parliament as published by him The Indictments were read Biddle with much ado was prevailed with to plead and obtained leave of the Court to put in his Exceptions to the two Bils of Indictment ingrossed in these words London ss At the gaol-delivery of newgate holden for the City of London at Justice-Hall in the Old-Bailey London on Wednesday the fifth day of September In the Year of our Lord One thousand six hundred fifty and five Exceptions taken by John Biddle Gentleman Prisoner at the Barre to two Bils of Indictment preferred against him grounded upon an Ordinance entituled An Ordinance of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament for the punishing of Blasphemies and Heresies Dated Die Martis secundo Maii 1648. First The Prisoner saith That the said Indictments are insufficient both in Matter and Form because they are grounded upon an Ordinance of Parliament which is not binding longer than the Parliament sitteth and that Parliament is long since dissolved Secondly There is nothing of obstinacy expressed in the Indictment without which though the Ordinance were of force there is no Offence against it Thirdly The Ordinance if it were of force doth direct the offender to be indicted the next Gaol Delivery and therefore this being the second Gaol-Delivery after complaint and imprisonment the Ordinance is not pursued by elapsing the time prefixed Fourthly Though the Ordinance were admitted to binde after the Dissolution of the Parliament Yet the same Parliament did after the said Ordinance viz. the ninth of August 1650. make an Act against the same Opinions as are mentioned in the Ordinance and therefore if cause were the prisoner may be proceeded against upon the Act