Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	act_n	king_n	parliament_n	3,024	5	6.5132	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54142	Good advice to the Church of England, Roman Catholick and Protestant dissenter, in which it is endeavoured to be made appear that it is their duty, principle & interest to abolish the penal laws and tests	Penn, William, 1644-1718.	1687 (1687)	Wing P1296; ESTC R203148	42,315	65

be is scarce ever established by the Sword and the Gospel the blessed Peace cannot be published by the Sound of the Cannon neither the Sacred Word be conveyed unto us by the impious hands of Souldiers neither Tranquility be brought to the Persons and Consciences of Men by that which bringeth Ruin unto Nations ibid. pag. 30. He has said much in a little the Talent and Honour of Men truly great I give this still to the Church of Englands Principles which yet makes it harder for her to justifie her Practice in her use of Power But let us hear a King speak and one the Church of England is bound to hear by many Obligations King Charles the First out of his tender and princely sence of the sad and bleeding Condition of the Kingdom and his unwearied Desires to apply such Remedies as by the blessing of Almighty God might settle it in Peace by the Advice of his Lords and Commons of Parliament Assembled at Oxford propounded and desired that all the Members of both Houses might securely meet in a full and free Convention of Parliament there to treat consult and agree upon such things as may conduce to the maintenance and defence of the Reformed Protestant Religion with due consideration to all just and reasonable ease to tender Consciences The Kings Message of a Treaty March 3. 1643. from Oxford Superscribed to the Lords and Commons of Parliament assembled at Westminster In the Kings Twentieth Message for Peace January 29. 1645. he has these Words That by the Liberty offered in his Message of the 5 th present for the ease of their Consciences who will not Communicate in the Service already established by Act of Parliament in this Kingdom He intends that all other Protestants behaving themselves peaceable in and towards the civil Government shall have the free Exercise of their Religion according to their own way In the Thirty third Message for Peace November 17. 1647. there are these Words His Majesty considering the great present Distempers concerning Church Discipline and that the Presbyterian Government is now in practice his Majesty to eschew Confusion as much as may be and for the satisfaction of his two Houses is content that the said Government be legally permitted to stand in the same Condition it now is for three Years provided that his Majesty and those of his Judgment or any other who cannot in Conscience submit thereunto be not obliged to comply with the Presbyterian Government but have free Practice of their own Profession without receiving any Prejudice thereby From the Isle of Wight In his Declaration to all his People January 18. 1645. from Carisbrook Castle after the Votes of no Address He says I have sacrificed to my two Houses of Parliament for the Peace of the Kingdom all but what is much more dear to me then my Life my Conscience and my Honour In his Letter to the Lords Gentlemen and Committee of the Scotch Parliament together with the Officers of the Army July 3. 1648. from Carisbrook Castle As the best foundation of Loyalty is Christianity so true Christianity is perfect Loyalty VI. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Upon his Majesties retirement from Westminster Sure it ceases to be Counsel when not Reason is used as to Men to Perswade but Force and Terror as to Beasts to drive and compel men to whatever tumultary Patrons shall project He deserves to be a Slave without Pity or Redemption that is content to have his Rational Soveraignty of his Soul and Liberty of his Will and Words so captivated Again ibid. Sure that Man cannot be blameable to God or Man who seriously indeavours to see the best reason of things and faithfully follows what he takes for reason the uprightness of his Intentions will excuse the possible failings of his Understanding Again ibid. I know no Resolutions more worthy a Christian King then to prefer his Conscience before his Kingdoms XII Upon the Rebellion and Troubles in Ireland Some kind of Zeal counts all merciful Moderation Lukewarmness and had rather be Cruel than accounted Cold and is not seldom more greedy to kill the Bear for her Skin than for any harm he hath done ibid O my God thou seest how much Cruelty among Christians is acted under the colour of Religion as if we could not be Christians unless we Crucifie one another XIII Upon the calling the Scots and their coming Sure in matters of Religion those Truth 's gain most on mens Judgments and Consciences which are least urged with Secular Violence which weakens Truth with Prejudices and is unreasonable to be used till such means of rational Conviction hath been appli'd as leaving no excuse for Ignorance condemns mens Obstinacy to deserv'd Penalties Violent Motions are neither Manly Christian nor Loyal The proper Engine of Faction is Force the Arbitrator of Beasts not of reasonable Men much less of humble Christians and loyal Subjects in matters of Religion XIV Upon the Covenant Religion requires Charity and Candor to others of different Opinions Nothing Violent and Injurious can be Religions XV. Upon the many Jealousies raised and Scandals cast upon the King to stir up the People against him In point of true Conscientious Tenderness attended with Humility and Meekness not with proud or arrogant Activity which seeks to hatch every egge of indifferent Opinion to Faction or Schism I have oft declared how little I desire my Laws and Scepter should intrench over Gods Soveraignty which is the only king of mens Consciences XXVII To the Prince of Wales Take heed of abetting to any Factions your partial adhereing to any one Side gains you not so great Advantages in some Mens Hearts who are prone to be of their Kings Religion as it looseth you in others who think themselves and their Profession first despised then persecuted by you My Counsel and Charge to you is That you seriously consider the former real or objected Miscarriages which might occasion my Troubles that you may avoid them A Charitable Connivance and Christian Toleration often dissipates their Strength whom rougher Opposition fortifies Always keep up Sollid Piety and those Fundamental Truths which mend both Hearts and Lives of Men with impartial Favour and Justice Your Prerogative is best shewed and exercised in remitting rather then exacting the rigour of the Law there being nothing worse than legal Tyranny And as this was the Sence and Judgment of a King that Time and the greatest Troubles had inform'd with a superiour Judgment and which to be sure highly justifies the measures that are now taken So Dr. Hudson his Plain-dealing Chaplain must not be forgotten by us on this occasion who took the freedom to tell his Royal Master That he lookt upon the Calamities he laboured under to be the hand of God upon him for not having given God his due over Conscience One can easily imagin this to be Reformation Language and then it is not hard to think how low that Church must be fallen that from

if dispersed to be sure they have not strength for such an Attempt But if they are not sufficient there is a Potent Prince not far off can help the Design who is not angry with Protestancy at home only Suppose this is there not as Potent Naval Powers to assist the Constitution of the Kingdom from such Invasions yes and Land ones too And as the Protestant Governments have more Ships then the other so an equal Land Force when by such attempts to make Popery universal they are awaken'd to the use of them But certainly we must be very silly to think the King should suffer so great a shake to his own Interest as admitting an Army of Forraigners to enter his Kingdom on any pretence must necessarily occasion These Bull-Beggers and Raw-Heads and Bloody-Bones are the Malice of some and Weakness of others But time that Informs Children will tell the World the meaning of the Fright The third Proof of my second Reason is the Intestine Division among themselves That Division weakens a great Body and renders a small one harmless all will agree Now that there is such a thing as Division among them is town talk The Seculars Regulars have ever been two Interests all the Roman Church over and they are not only so here but the Regulars differ among themselves There is not a Coffee-House in Town that does not freely tell us that the Jesuites and Benedictines are at variance that Count Da Da the Popes Nuncio and Bishop Lyborn Dissent mightily from the Politicks of the first Nay t'other Day the Story was that they had prevail'd Entirely over them The Lords and Gentlemen of her Communion have as warmly contested about the lengths they ought to go Moderation seems to be the conclusion Together they are little and can do little and divided they are Contemptible instead of Terrible Lastly the Roman Church ought to be discreet and think of nothing further then the entreated general Ease because it would be an extream that must beget another in the succeeding Raign For as I can never think her so weak as well as base that after all her Arguments for the Jus divinum of Succession she should in the Face of the World attempt to violate it in the wrong of One of another Perswasion for that were an eternal loss of her with Mankind So if she does not and yet is Extravagant she only rises higher to fall lower then all others in another Raign This were provoking their own Ruin. And to say true either way would as the second Letter has it discredit her for ever and make true Prophets of those they had taken such pains to prove false Witnesses And supposing her to reckon upon the just Succession nothing can recommend her or continue her happiness in a Raign of another Judgment but this Liberty equally maintained that other Perswasions more numerous for that reason as well as for their own sakes are obliged to insure her Here the Foundation is broad and strong and what is built upon it has the looks of long Life The Indenture will at least be quint-pertite and Parties are not so mortal as Men. And as this joyns so it preserves Interest intire which amounts to a Religious Amity and a Civil Vnity at the worst Upon the whole matter I advise the Members of the Roman Communion in this Kingdom to be moderate 't is their Duty and it belongs to all Men to see it and feel it from them and it behoves them mightily they would for the first part of this Discourse belongs to their Hopes as well as to the Church of Englands Fears viz. the Duty and Spirit of Christianity Next let them do good Offices between the King and his excellent Children for as that will be well taken by so affectionate a Father so it gives the lie to their Enemies Suggestions and recommends them to the Grace and Favour of the Successors And having said this I have said all that belongs to them in particular There is left only my Address to the Protestant Dissenters and a general Conclusion to finish this Discourse Your Case that are called Protestant Dissenters differs mightily from that of the Church of England and Rome For the first have the Laws for her the last the Prince Those Laws are against you and she is not willing they should be Repeal'd The Prince offers to be kind to you if you please Your Interest in this Conjuncture is the Question I think none ought to be made that it is the Liberty of Conscience desired because you have much more need of it having neither Laws nor Prince of your side nor a Successor of any of your Perswasions The Fears of Popery I know reach you but it is to be remembered also that if the Laws are not Repeal'd there wants no new ones to Destroy you of the Papists making so that every fear you are taught to have of their Repeal is against your selves Suppose your Apprehensions well grounded you can but be Destroy'd Which is most comfortable for you to suffer by Law or without it The Church of England by her Penal Laws and the Doctrine of Headship has Armed that Religion as it falls out to Destroy you Nay has made it a Duty in the King to do it from which says she nothing but an Act of Parliament can absolve him that she is not willing to allow And is it not as reasonable that you should seek their Repeal that if you suffer from the Papists It may be without human Law as well as against Christs Law as for the Church of England to keep them in force because if she suffers it shall be against the Laws made to uphold her For not repealing them brings you an inevitable mischief and her at most but an uncertain safety tho 't is certain she at the same time will Sacrifice you to it And yet if I were in her case it would please me better to remove Laws that might reproach me and stop my Mouth when turn'd against me and be content that if I Suffer for my Religion it is against the Law of God Christianity and the Fundamentals of the old and true Civil Government of my Country before such Laws helpt to spoil it In short you must either go to Church or Meet or let fall your Worshipping of God in the way you believe If the first you are Hypocrites and give away the Cause and reproach your dead Brethrens Sincerity and gratifie the old accusation of Schism Ambition c. and finally loose the Hope and Reward of all your Sufferings If the second viz. that you Meet against Law you run into the Mouth of the Government whose Teeth are to meet in you and Destroy you as by Law established If the last you deny your Faith over-throw your own Arguments fall away from the Apostolical Doctrine of assembling together and so must fall into the Hands of God and under the troubles of your own