Selected quad for the lemma: parliament_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A52954
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A new plea for the Parliament and the reserved man resolved from the serious consideration of the state of controversie betweene the King and the Parliament : together with severall answeres to some common objections about this subject : as also advice to those who are yet unsettled in their thoughts hereabout / by a Wel-willer to King and Parliament.
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Wel-willer to King and Parliament.
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1643
(1643)
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Wing N704A; ESTC R41051
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19,162
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17
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incursions which have been made upon the Law by illegall taxations and oppressions of the Subjects by finding out and removing the roots springs and causes thereof as the Star chamber high Commission c. by discovering and bringing to condignâ— punishment the underminers of Law whereof there have been Nobles Bishops Lawyers Judges Pattentees Delinquents of all ranks some wherof have fled away beyond Seas and others into divers parts of this Kingdom have indeavoured to raise up forces and strength to over-aw and overthrow this present Parliament and have brought tâ—is designe to great perfection all which is known and evident in the sight of all men For the suppressing of which power and the further prevention of their increase by forreigne force the Parliament hath endeavoured the best way they can by securing the Ships and Sea-Ports of the Kingdome in the hands of a faithfull and trusty Admirall and other Officers by disarming knowne Papists and Malignants interested and active in the Quarrell against them and by raising up an Army for the suppressing of that Malignant party raised up for the ruine of Religion and Lawes of the Kingdome Thus the one Party hath managed their Controversie against their Adversary Secondly the other Party hath prosecuted the purity of Religion before the Parliament in point of Doctrine by advancing and encouraging Arminian and Popish fellowes and Tenets throughout the Kingdome as all men know Secondly in point of worship by introducing and maintaining many foolish superstitious and ridiculous Ceremonies and Innovations as is likewise hid from no man and their method since they have gotten into an Army in the prosecuting the purity of Religion is by cursing banning blaspheming swearing God sinke me God dam me the Divel ram me c. with such like horrid oathes as I tremble to think of together with mocking jeering scoffing and deriding at those who make conscience of their wayes calling them Puritans Round-heads Schismaticks Separatists Brownists Sectaries c. the very name of an honest man that will not sweare lye and prophane the Lords day is ground enough for their cruell and inhumane dealings against them where ever they come Thus they prosecute the purity of Religion 2. They have endeavoured to maintaine the life and power of the Law Liberty of the Subject and Priviledge of Parliament before the Parliament by all kind of injury against Law Subjects and Parliaments as all men know and sithence the Parliament by disarming the Countries under the pretence of a most illegall Commission of Array which none of the Lawyers and Judges of the Kingdome dare avouch but wee must believe the Kings word for it though he say he is no Lawyer well the Country 's disarm'd and their Arms put into the hands of Papists and Malignants now in the Army hereby they are disinabled to defend themselves but now must quietly suffer themselves to be plunder'd rob'd and undone the Countreys assest to pay so much now and so much then and an Army on foot to compell them to pay it as absolute tyrranny as any is in Turkey and a tast of the Law of the Land and Liberty of the Subject which we are like to have hereafter if this Partie get head Againe they having by wicked Counsell gotten the King from his Parliament and so sheltring themselves under him have prevailed with him without the least pretended cause to put honest and blamelesse well affected Justices of Peace out of the Commission throughout the Kingdom a sad Omen of the Subjects good to any discerning eye and put in known Malignants in their roome to prick men for Sheriffes throughout the Kingdome knowne likewise to be Malignants c. and for the Priviledges of Parliament they maintaine these by declaring and publishing both Houses guilty of high treason and the Earle of Essex General of the Forces raised for the defence of King Parliament and Kingdome a Traitor and all his assistants comprehending thereby the Parliament to be Rebels and Traitors by prevailing with the King to cast off his great Councell the Parliament in all matters of Church and State to keep from the judicature of the Parliament known Traitors and Delinquents accused by the Parliament the Priviledges of the Parliament have been maintained by abusing beating and scorning messengers sent from the Parliament by calling those that stand for the good of the Kingdome and Parliament Rogues Parliament dogs c. in all these things and in many more of this nature doubtlesse the Law of the Land the Liberty of the Subject the Priviledges of Parliament are aim'd at and endeavoured with all sincerity and truth of heart and let any man of the meanest capacity judge the contrary Thus wee see how each Party hath discovered and pursueth their Enemy Is this the cause are these the Parties are these their practises what but stupidity can now be deceived Will Traitors fight for justice Delinquents for the Law the thiefe for the halter Papists for purity of Religion How is the World turn'd upside downe is Religion preserved by transgression Piety by iniquity Purity by Popery then is the Divell become a convert Is the law maintained by illegality the Subject by oppession the Parliament by destruction then are the Turkes as free as the English Shall I now question which side is right then let me question my judgement and reason I will fight for my God who gave me my being I will fight for my Countrey who gave me my breeding God and my Countrey gave what I have God and my Countrey shall have what they gave Religion binds me unto God Duty to my King Nature to my Countrey If the King calls me to fight against and the Parliament for God and my Countrey I cannot obey my King I dare not deny the Parliament That this is our case is as cleare as the Sun let us hears what Objections can say to the contrary Objections are some in reference to the King some in reference to the Parliament first in reference to the King Object 1 First it is objected that the King hath made many Protestations strong asseverations fearefull imprecations against him and his if ever he intends the least wrong but all good both to Religion Law and Parliament and shall we not believe the King Answ First the Law of God Nature and Nations doth not binde mee to believe any thing against experience though affirmed by a King and upon no better ground than his bare affirmation Secondly we question not the Kings intent against God and the Kingdome but we know that the Army raised up by his Authority is for the subversion both of Religion and Lawes and that those that are now the Kings Counsellours have alwayes and now doe endeavour the rooting up of both Thirdly the King may be deceived by false Prophets and wicked Lawyers who may suggest this to be Religion and that to be Law which is nothing but Popery and illegality and so he may protest and that from his
now was unlawfull then for which we may thanke a Parliament and in fighting for the Parliaments Cause wee fight not against but to defend Authority and for the King and not against him having what Authority he hath confirmed and established by the Parliament Sixtly there have beene sufficient Answers to this Objection to prove the lawfulnesse of taking up Armes in this Cause for the satisfaction of truly tender Consciences by divers Bookes made by godly and learned Ministers viz. Booke intituled Anticavalier sâ—â—e made by Mr. Iohn Goodwin and Mr. Buraough his Postscript to his last Booke upon the name of the Lord of Hosts in Answer to Doctor Ferne c. Besides many other Bookes and Sermons of this kinde where men might have satisfaction in abundance c. Seventhly as for an Answer to the Cavaliers themselves who demand with what Conscience we can fight against the King as they are taught to miscall it they are capable of no other but this that when they will satisfie you with what Conscience they will drink and be drunke whore and bee damn'd and choose rather to goe to Hell with their Comrades than to Heaven with the Round-heads with what conscience they blaspheame God curse sweare rob plunder kill murther c Then will you tell them with what conscience you take up Armes in this Cause surely if the tongues of all the blasphemers amongst them were bored with an hot iron and of the Swearers were clipt you should hardly from the greatest to the least of them understand whether they speake English in asking with what Conscience you doe so These were the Objections concerning the King There are likewise Objections concerning the Parliament Object 1 The King is not with them nor many Lords and Commons c. This hath beene suggested if it were possible to blind poore ignorant people and to possesse them with a conceit that therefore they are no Parliament though in plaine termes they will not affirme so much Answ VVell what then are they no Parliament thâ—y will not tâ—tidem verbis affirme this they have more witâ— but they would have others make that inference for they buz this abroad that the greatest part of the Parliament are with the King and many now in the Parliament doe not consent to the Votes that are past and yet they put forth their Votes Ordinances c. in the name of both Houses of Parliament and therefore they would have you make the inference viz. that they are not the Parliament therefore it is not amisse to answer this tacite and silent Objection for Answer therefore First they were a Parliament none will deny that Secondly an Act hath been past that they shall not be dissolved but by an Act made in Parliament by the major Vote and is there such an Act yet past no man can prove that Thirdly though many are not in the Parliament which are Members vet they should be there and they have been summoned to be there and it is their delinquency and carelesenesse of or malignity to their Countries good that they are not there and some of them most unworthily and unnaturally are in actuall War against the Parliament are they no Parliament because such as these are absent Fourthly the King doth alwayes call them his Houses of Parliament and therefore who can question it but the truth is they suggest many things to deceive the common people as if we were the only Nation of Fooles in the world Object 2 Some furious spirits in the Parliament compell the rest to doe what is done and those are put out in name of the Parliament c. Answ First doth not this cast an imputation upon the Nobility and the greatest part of the commons of weaknesse if not of absolute folly that they should be led by a few factious spirits in all their Votes and determinations Secondly were not the unjust and illegall dissolutions of Parliaments grounded upon exceptions against some particular Members under the name of a few factious and seditious persons as all men know Thirdly suppose that the rest were advised and mis-led by the Counsells of those few against their owne judgements who are called factious and seditious which can never be granted untill a Parliament be chosen of such as will believe it are they not the Votes of the Parliament when the major part shall passe them truly â—â—argues they want matter of accusation that make use of such silly shifts as there are Object 3 The Parliament goes about to alter Religion to bring in Brownisme Anabaptisme c. Answ First it is false for none can accuse them in respect of the Doctrine of the Church of England which is the maine of Religion and seldome are men said to alter Religion but in point of Doctrine Secondly it is reformation of government confest on all hands to bee corrupted which they endeavour and if there be no need of Reformation why were there so many complaints made hereabout Thirdly suppose they should goe about to alter Religion which we will never grant except they were such as their accusers who could hinder them may not they if they see cause alter Religion aswell as former Parliaments Fourthly as for those scandals of their intentions to bring in Brownisme and Anabaptisme c. it is notoriously knowne that under the name of Brownist and Anabaptist by the Praelaticall Party the Oracles of the Court are alwayes understood all such who dare not out of Conscience submit to those unwarranted Ceremonies by them introduced into the worship of God Men that will not sweare and lie blaspheame Gods name and prophane his day are the Sectaries Brownists and Anabaptists of these times Lastly these men either understand not what Anabaptists are or else speak very unadvisedly in charging the Parliament with Anabaptisme for one of the maine points of Anabaptisme is that no man ought to take up Armes in the cause of God at all but rather to suffer to plead and contend for the truth by no other weapon than lachrymis precibus and if the Magistrate should take away our Religion yea cut our throats in that cause we must patiently submit c. Now if we consider what Doctrine of this kind the Praelaticall Party have lately broached abroad they may better learne to charge Anabaptisme Lastly Consider which of these two parties are most likely to goe about to alter Religion either that party that consists of knowne Orthodox Godly and Religions men whose judgements and practises have alwayes been towards piety and purity or that party which consists of the Popish and Arminian faction and whereunto all the Papists of the Kingdome personally and vertually come to yeeld their assistance which is the very case of the adverse party against the Parliament that there is a going about to alter Religion by them is evident and therefore if Popery be worth fighting for let them not be ashamed of it but let them speak plainely by their words