Selected quad for the lemma: parliament_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
parliament_n	honourable_a	house_n	petition_n	3,157	5	9.0634	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75805	The Catholiques plea, or An explanation of the Roman Catholick belief. Concerning their [brace] church, manner of worship, justification, civill governement. : Together with a catalogue of all the pœnall statutes against popish recusants. : All which is humbly submitted to serious consideration. / By a Catholick gentleman.	Birchley, William, 1613-1669.	1659 (1659)	Wing A4242B; ESTC R42676	68,166	129

peaceable Christian be deprived of the cheif content and comfort of this life which certainly consists in a reall and impartiall yet unoffensive liberty to serve his God according to his conscience Many Petitions I could here cite in affirmance of this Truth from severall Provinces of this Land but I shall trouble the Reader onely with these two the first was presented to the Parliament upon the six and twentieth of March 1649. from the County of Leicester wherein though I were none of the subscribers yet I did both by my self and friends promote is what I could as conceiving the requests of it both just and reasonable it bore this Title The humble Petition of divers wel-affected of the County of Leicester in behalf of themselves and the Nation ANd the seventh Article or Branch of the Petition was this 7. That every one may enjoy the just freedomes to worship God according to his word without any Coercive or Restrictive courses to the contrary The Petition being read the Gentlemen that presented it were called in and Master Speaker by Order of the House gave them hearty thanks c. And on the 2 of April following a like Petition was presented entituled The humble Petition and Representation of severall Churches of God in London commonly though f●lsly called Anabaptists which was also graciously accepted by the House according to the Merit of so consciencious a sute and the justice of so glorious a Parliament At which time we happily began to shake off that intollerable burthen of Isachar the Presbyterian government which has bin since in a good measure effected through the blessing of the Lord Christ and pious care of his instruments the Governours of this Common-wealth Insomuch as no persons of what society or perswasion soever in this Nation are at present persecuted for their Conscience onely or difference in outward worship but the Papists whom I am therefore according to that Principle 〈◊〉 charity which absolutely commands my spirit obliged to make the chief subject of this discourse In order to which performance I have since the writing of my former sheets often waited upon God in humility of spirit and endeavored to inform my self as much as I could of the truth and particular manner of their sufferings and to that end have sometimes purposely attended at Haberdashers hall to hear their Cases pleaded where though I suffered some persecution from the croud noyse of that place yet far more was the greif of my mind to behold so many distressed suters whose Countenances were made sad by the fear of a fatall Order for their impoverishment But before I proceed to any of those particulars I must at least in my own judgement cleer the Papists of obstinacy and non-submission to the present government wherewith they were by some accused as a sufficient ground of all their punishment from which imputation I shall easily deliver them by transcribing a Copy of their Petition which they have with much diligence and humble importunity addressed to very many members of Parliament professing to wait onely the happines of an opportunity to present it to the House and being a Paper at least 5 or 6 moneths old and delivered to so many persons with whom I have the honour to be acquainted it fell by chance into my hands having I confesse of late entertai●ed a particular delight and recreation to passe some part of my time in such curiosities To the Supreme Authority of this Nation the Parliament of the Common-wealth of ENGLAND The humble Petition of the Roman Catholikes Sheweth THat your Petitioners have long waited some happy leisure when there might be a hearing alowed them of their many sad pressures the weight whereof hath sunk them so ruinous●● low that they are utterly disabled to discharge their many debts make the least provision for their Children or relieve themselves reduced to extreme necessities That even such of your petitioners as are sequestred for delinquency have still comforted their sorrowes with this hope that at last they should certainly be received to mercy since the generall VOTES for composition of the 17. of MARCH 1648. seem clearly to imply them capable thereof when the Rules concerning them should be agreed upon That now the wisedome of the Parliament applying it sel●eto establish the people of this Common-wealth in a quiet and setled condition your Petitioners take up an humble confidence that they alone shall not be excluded from so universall a benefit And therefore humbly pray that the Laws proceedings concerning them may be taken into consideration and such clemency and compassion used towards them by composition or otherwise as in the judgment of 〈◊〉 honourable House may consist with the publike peace and your Petitioners comfortable living in their native Country And they further humbly pray that it would please the Parliament to vo●chsafe them the permission of cleering their Religion from whatsoever may be inconsistent with Government which will assuredly be done to full satisfaction if there may be a Committee appointed by this honorable House on whom they may have the Privilege 〈◊〉 attend And your Petitioners shall ever pray ●● THis to my sense beares it self with so much respect and submissivenesse in the style that it can no ways be interpreted mis-becomming the duty of good and peaceable subjects and for the matter of the Petition it seems to my eye so reasonable that I cannot believe but after a little patience till other more generall 〈◊〉 a●●ord the Parliament leisure it wil certainly receive a satisfactory and releeving Answer Especially since not only such Papists whose moderate delinquency leaves them some hope of mercy nor such who for preservation of their lives were forced to fly into the 〈◊〉 Kings Garrisons without ever acting any thing against the State but even the most innocent who all this while have sate still under so many pre●lures and never were charged with other accusation than their Religion yet all freely and humbly submit in this Petition to the absolute pleasure of the Parliament for rules of Composition and this as to the single Papist for an offence which in no other Society of Christians in this Nation is accounted any crime at all being meerly their different judgment in Religion a proceeding wherein cer●●inly wee shall use too much severity and partiallity if we make it not only unpardonable but unredeemable In the close of their Petition they humbly beg the favour of an opportunity to satisfy the Parliament in the point of consistency with Civil Government which being the chief Objection that without passion can be made against them surely we should not take offence at their most diligent applications and utmost endeavours to deliver themselves from so destructive a charge laid upon their Religion And as a further evidence of their readinesse and earnest desires to perform that which their Petition offers I am informed divers of considerable quality amongst them were then in town

needs appear the most harsh and severe proceeding that ever was practised in the world Wherefore I shall close this second Letter with my humble prayers to the gracious Redeemer of our soules that you would cease to impute all our faults to our Religion and we begin to commit no other faults but our Religion so should we happily overcome our own infirmities and fully satisfie your jealousies When I had well perused this Gentlemans discourse and attentively read his Letters I must freely confesse I could not have believed that either the Papists had suffered so much from us or been able to say so much for themselves I do not mean in order to prove the truth of their Religion but the unreasonablenesse of our persecution since really to my understanding our jealousies of their obedience seem as unecessary unto us as prejudiciall to them for I am confident there is no Religion in the world but by good Laws against breach of peace and due execution of them may be made consistent with any Kingdome or Common-wealth whatsoever Who more opposite in beliefe then Christians Jewes and Turks yet we see by experience that Jews are not inconsistent with the Government of Christians nor Christians with that of the Turks no not such Christians as are here in Question Papists As concerning the Doctrine we charge upon them of the Popes power over Supreme Magistrates I had the fortune some few years since to meet with a paper that cleerly answered all my difficulties wherein were written the Negative subscriptions of many English Recusants against these three following Propositions as no part of their Faith or Religion the Subscribers being both in number and quality sufficient to represent the whole body of them in this Nation 1. That the Pope or Church hath Power to absolve any person or persons from their obedience to the civil and politicall Government establisht or to be establisht in this Nation in civil and political affairs 2. That by the command or dispensation of Pope or Church it is lawfull to kill destroy or ●o any injury to person or persons living within the Kings dominions because that such a person or persons are accused condemned censured or excommunicated for Error Schisme or Heresie 3. That it is lawfull in it selfe or by dispensation from the Pope to break promise or oath made to any of the foresaid persons under pretence that they are Heretiques These they utterly disclaim and renounce as no part of their belief professing under their hands their readinesse to abjure if the State should so require the prac●ise and execution of them all which gave me so much the more satisfaction by how much it was besides my expectation nor have I now any thing to say against them upon that account And indeed if we consider these differences between us impartially our suspitions are not only confuted ●ut shamed by own daily experience for we trust Pa●ists in all Negotiations as indifferently as Protestants ●ay even our Travellers and Merchants beyond Seas where the Papists are Masters converse and traffique ●ecurely with them and yet I never heard the least complaint of any one single Protestants being cheated ●y them upon pretence of exemption or dispensation and therefore since they practise not that part which may sometimes be profitable J cannot think they hold to no purpose that which is alwayes prejudicial For my small experience in the world all the objection that ever I heard of against the credit of our Papists was their being disabled by sequestrations to pay their debts not taught by their Religion to deceive their Creditors If their Doctrines were so destructive to civil Society as our accusations pretend how comes it to pass that our fundamentall Laws were enacted by them who invested the Supream Authority of this Nation with so Honourable Priviledges and yet provided so prudently for the just security of the people against the unjust encroachments of Prerogative from whom have all those excellent customes and Statutes of this Nation descended upon us is it possible we should derive all the ancient Priviledges of Parliament and Liberties of the Subject contained in Magna Charta c. from the times their Religion governed the Land and yet say now their Religion is inconsistent with the Government of the Land as it is very true that sometimes the Popes power here was abused to support a temporal interest so it is evident to those that know History that his mediation hath been avaliable both for the preventing and reconciling of our differences as well with ou● neighbouring Kingdomes as amongst our selves Nor is it possible that any Model of Government should be absolutely proof against all exceptions but 〈◊〉 the experience of five or six hundred years some abuse● will certainly happen whence it is easie for a severe observer to gather objections enough to puzzle the mos● able politique Statist in the world to answer especially if they be managed with dexterity and eloquence a●mongst a half witted and stubborn people who neithe● can guide themselves nor will be led by others nor blind enough to be ignorant where they are and yet too short sighted to see whether they goe unhappy chiefly in this that they are tender in the sense of any present evil and wholy incapable of fore-seeing the destruction that follows their impatience Hear what is said charitably of the Papists in the foresaid Examination of the late Synods confession of Faith p. 266. The Papists believe in the same God with the Protestants even in the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost though they differ in some Articles or branches of Articles of their belief and in their way of worship yea some of the Papists are regenerate conscientious and vertuous persons Wherefore I humbly conceive our Magistrates and Ministers ought sincerely to enquire into the truth of things and make a conscience of judging or preaching otherwise then secundum probato and not upon bare jealousies or the blind opinion of the Vulgar condemn any free-born member of this Nation farther then he shall be proved to be guilty Nor do I helieve it reasonable to charge every unjustifiable action of particular Papists or extravagant opinion of any private writer amongst them upon the whole body of their Religion The Decrees of their Councels they professe to be the only absolute declarers of their Faith amongst whose determinations there are faults enough which they strive to defend no need of imposing upon them errours which they flatly deny Let us lay our hands upon our own heats we our selves want not our capriches and exorbitant conceits which ought ●ot to be imputed to the whole reformed Religion but to the imperfection of humane Nature easily deceived with the Colour of truth and passionately in love with its own invention Besides instead of jealousies and dangers I cannot see but great security and advantages would accrue to this Nation by treating in mercy all peaceable Papists the Pope would

propagation of the Gospell but being called into the Country by an urgent and importunate occasion I am disabled to give any farther account concerning their Proposalls not knowing either how they were accepted or indeed whether they were actually offered and therefore can onely furnish you with a faithfull Copy of the Paper it selfe To the Honourable the Committee for Propagation of the Gospell The humble Proposals of the Roman Catholicks 1. SInce all compulsion upon the Conscience is clearly against the Principles both of Parliament and Army as appear●● by the Parliament●Declaration in Answer to the Scotch Commissioners 17. Feb. 1648. in these words As for the truth and power of Religion it being a thing intrinsecall betweene God and the Soule and the matters of Faith in the Gospell such as no naturall light can reach wee conceive there is no humane Power of coercion thereunto nor to restraine men from believing what God suffers their judgement to bee perswaded of Among the Proposals of the Army 1. Aug. 1647. This was one That all coercive power and all civill penalties for non-formity be wholly repealed and some other provision made against such Papists as should disturb the publick Peace And since by the Experience of Germany Poland Switzerland Holland France c. The Consistency of diverse Religions under one Government is evidently proved aswell where the Protestant commands the Roman Catholick as where the Roman Catholick commands the Protestant It is humbly offered That no penalty be imposed upon any professing the Gospell of CHRIST meerly for d●fference of judgement in matters of Religion 2. The publike use of all Churches and the entire benefit of Church-endowments being wholly submitted to the disposure of the State It is humbly offered That no person believing in Christ Jesus and living peaceably and unoffensively be by any penalty restrained from the quiet exercise of his Conscience in his private House observing therein such Rules as the State shall think fit to appoint for preservation of the publike Peace A practice which by long experience in Holland is found both satisfactory to the people and secure to the Governours of the Common wealth 3. Since the Law of God is so far from allowing any penall sentence to be grounded upon the enforced Oath of the party that it expresly forbids any offence whatsoever to be tryed by the single testimony of one witness Deut. 19. 15. Mat. 18. 16. It is humbly proposed That an Oath be exacted of any person compelling him under forfeiture of Life Liberty or Estate to swear against his Conscience or to accuse and condemn himself especially in matters that concrn his inward belief 4. Since in all Religions there are still found some scandalous livers and that our Saviour pronounces the Woe against him only by whom the scandall comes Mat. 18. 7. Luke 17. 1. It is humbly proposed That whoever shall offend against the Order of so mild and Christian a settlement may be severely censured but that others though of the same judgement in Religion be no farther made subject to the punishment than proved guilty of the crime In stead of my opinion concerning these foure Proposalls of the Papists because to my sense they carry in themselves both their owne evidence and justification I shall beg the Readers permission to set down a particular conceit which I have often observed to be very well relisht by all that have examined it That doubtles there is no way more suitable to the first Principles of all Reformed Churches no way so probable to satisfie all Consciences as not to impose any other Obligation for proof of conformity than this profession to believe the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the Word of God and to live according to the Precepts plainly contained therein this acknowledgement to bee exprest in generall tearms without descending minutely to particular questions which have certainly been the chiefe cause of so many Controversies and Divisions in the World And now I humbly appeale to the honorable and religious Committee for propagation of the Gospell Whether the sweet Spirit of the Lord Christ who gave his Apostles no further power than to relinquish such as refused to heare them be reconcilable to the former practices of the high Commissioners or the present practices of our Sequestrators Whether when the great Apostle Paul prescribes the Servants of the Lord to forbear and in meeknesse instruct those that are contrary minded hee should bee thus cros-interpreted that the Estates of those who are contrary minded be first secured or forborne and then after a time quite taken away to instruct them in meeknesse or how to bear patiently the losse of the vain and transitory riches of this World And now I humbly appeale to the honorable and learned Committee for regulation of the Law whether since all those penalties which the rigorous humours of former Ages have under pretence of zeal imposed upon the Conscience are either by disuse forgotten or by express Act of Parliament revoked the Papists alone should still be continued under the same severities nay their burthens encreased by the strange method of the new proceedings towards them their Consciences being now not onely punishable in the Common way of indictment but compellable even to accuse themselves by the new Presbyterian Oath of Abjuration against the known Principles of the ancient and reverend Laws of this Land And now with an humble confidence I appeale to the renowned Parliament of the Common-wealth of England whether in this generall Goal-delivery of the Conscience from the tyranny and oppression of the Prelates the consciences of Papists alone ought still to be kept in prison Whether when all the fetters which the Rigid Kirkesmen had bought up in Scotland are broken in pieces just as they were locking them fast about our Consciences in England the Consciences of Papists alone ought still to bee continued in chains Whether when all the Societies professing Christ Iesus and living obediently to the Magistrate and peaceably one with another are protected in the quiet and unoffensive exercise of their Consciences the Papists alone should be forced under the penalty of so great a ruine not only to professe but swear against their Consciences A course that in a short time will unavoidably bring them either to absolute beggery or which is worse to hypocrisie or which is worst of all to perjury All the people of this Nation look upon you as their common Father all promise themselves liberty and protection under your Government though some may justly be excluded from sharing in the Government Were there in my Family one child that profest to finde satisfaction in the way of the Papists and lived dutifully to mee and lovingly with his Brethren I should account it a great unnaturalnes to deprive him altogether of his portion much more of that which hee has received from the bounty of any collaterall Kinsman or acquired by his own particular