Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	church_n	england_n	rome_n	5,202	5	6.8819	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81054	Conscience-oppression: or, A complaint of wrong done to the people's rights, being a vvord necessary and seasonable to all pious christians in England, whether in or out of church-way; and to all sober minded and rational men, that yet know how to value law and christian liberty. / By I. Croope, a subject of Christ's kingdome, and of England's common-wealth.	Croope, J.	1657 (1657)	Wing C7236; Thomason E903_8; ESTC R207425	46,102	63

as an unnatural vomit occasioned by her poyson the ill effect thereof is to be found upon the minds of most professing men though Protestants at this day notwithstanding Pope and King and Lords Bishops are said to be departed hence being kickt out and spurned at with a furious heel the minds and understandings of most will yet shews us that they have been here for it is hardly distinguishable in most whether that which they profess for truth be setled upon them by the spiritual arm of Christ in light and evidence or by the arm of fleshly power and forcing example of men I say as before that the Magistrates pretended legall cognizance and determination of the errors of the mind in Religion is only by the Statute Law since the great confederacy betwixt Rome and England or of the Civil and Church Interest for the ancient Laws and Customs of this Nation look a little better then to manifest such a rage in Conscience-Tyranny And when I mention Romes confederacy with us let no man puff at this and say that is broken long ago I must confess like wrangling lovers they have quarrelled much and often yet have they loved the same bed of lust and lordliness still though sometimes they lie not there together and it is no hard matter to shew the Beast and false Prophet alive Rev. 19. after the flames have taken hold upon Romes glory and have burnt her down to ashes and if this be so let England look about her for she is not yet delivered as will be made appear ere long This may be applyed to later times then of King Hen the Eight could we but trace the footsteps of this mystery as it hath travelled through the Saxon Dane and Norman times and observe the many mazing turnings it hath made to secure it self as in a laborinth and to put its pursuers to a loss we should finde the pavement of the way to be stained with blood and their proceedings to be full of oppressive cruelty yea the deep Impressions that their feet have made upon our English Nations fundamental liberties by trampling on them and by treading them down do yet stand full of blood uncovered and not dryed up unto this day to the shame of the present Generation which notwithstanding all the claimes they have made and pretences had to righteousness and judgement have not found in their hearts though the present day doth loudly call for it to expiate and cleanse the Land from Ezekiel 29. The Children of Israel were directed by the Spirit of Prophesie to burn all the Instruments of Gog and to bury all the bones of his slain and to appoint men of a continual imployment that they may cleanse the Land yea every passenger that past through the Land if he saw a mans bone Ver. 15. he was to set up a sign at it that the men of continual imployment might observe and bury it So careful was the spirit that the Land might be cleansed of strange flesh and bones Brethren the Rights and Liberties of this Common-wealth have been invaded and overspread by cruel oppressive and insinuating Principles of Tyrannie and State-Engines which like Gog for I shall but allude not interpret have broken down our ancient bounds and so polluted and extreamly disfigured the comely feature and surpassing beauty of our Nations Rights and Laws that an English man can hardly discern their native excellencie and lustre they are hid in so many clouds and made to walk under so many masks of will and selfish humour that the poor Nation cannot see one glimps of what they should in an age when t is our right to enjoy them all with open face continually we do pretend and God hath been willing I am confident to bring it to more then an empty pretence in this age that the heart of this invading Gog is broken and the Arm of his power so shiveld that every man may believe the whole body is dead yet t is not buried the dead Carkass lies in the streets and fields of England and whether there be men appointed for continual imployment to bury the body or no I shall not now dispute I fear there are not yet pardon me if in my creeple-travels I set up a stick by a bone that lies unburied this stincking carrion persecution that if any shall at length undertake the publike Sextons charge they may know they shall not want imployment And there be more remainders of that Tyrant-Host then this that may teach men that have their sense to put the branch to the nose for the sents contagious not fit to be sufferd among Christian people But I proceed 'Thas been enough confest and concluded That this Nation is a free people The meaning is that their fundamentall Laws are such as do declare and keep them free from all arbitrary power and that they cannot be inslaved but by their own consent in their great Parliament or Council so that a subject of England that by Law is not exempted from the Law is free-born How then came we to be under the yoke of bondage and slavery Here is the question indeed the answer and unravelling of which hath cost so much ink treasure and blood to little purpose It was said before that the King and Prelates were long since in their great conjunction from which have proceeded those malignant influences that have so wrought upon the Nations freedome whereby it hath been made to labour for life it being so desperately afflicted in its vitals The Kings power and prerogative have been as a fretting moth and eating Rust that hath been gnawing at the heart of liberty untill they have consumed it And the Prelates rage their Dragon-rage and subtilty hath inspired this boundless Image of the King with so much of their own lust and will that these have ruled the Rost as they say all along and by these means have the pure freedoms of the land been ravisht from it and the minds of men so vitiated and defild that it requires the labour of an Hercules or one beyond him much in strength and glory to cleanse us from those foul Abominations that are committed now by pretext of Law so that this way departed liberty and righteousness for the power of the King and Lords so over-ruled the poor Commons or courted them into a compliance by their subtilty that the Commons durst not or else will not speak or act too much in vindication of the peoples Antient Rights for fear of raising such a storm that might sweep them away like a devouring hail our bulwarks thus shattered and subverted gave a free and easie passage and entrance for those wilde beasts to make a prey of us when they listed to satiate their greedy mindes with our treasure or our blood From hence have issued forth Patents Commissions c. for the erecting of Spiritual Courts and investing of Prelates with power to inthral men in things of Religion against the

these Mrs. of Divinity to take an Oath and did swear to worship Images which was against the Moral and Eternal Law of Almighty God Thus far he A sad President for any men and Powers upon earth to follow in taking cognizance of and punishing of men for Opinion whereby the weight of other mens sins is commonly laid upon their shoulders and I think they have commonly enough of their own and too much for some to bear let not the present Boutefeaus for their own defence object t was ill done of these for they themselves were Hereticks and the Sufferers held the Truth but we are in the right and therefore now there is no such danger for they may be answered first The former Prelates were as confident as any now yea t was their confidence and fierce zeal that put so many honest hearts from time to time into a deadly sweat wherein they left their blood and marrow life and all But secondly Admit that they or these are in the truth as both would have it thought so in their times yet was it not the duty of any King or Magistrate commanded to them by Christ by whom Kings now do reign to force men into his Worship or his Service I say so now for if it were it has been desired long since to be shewn which yet no man can see Nay according to the Laws and Customs of this English Nation Ancient Bounds pag. 23. the clear contrary may be thought to be the duty of the Magistrate and that he was and is to defend the people from such wrongs and infringements of their Liberties for he is sworn thereto and he is to keep the Peace so that the good old Laws of England and the Magistrates the Executioners of those Laws are the Forts and Towers in whom all honest mindes though differing in the businesse of Religion a thing not imaginable to be under censure of the power of man and in reason and Scripture left to the decision of the Spirit and to Christ the Judge are to be safeguarded from the furious persecution of all state incendiaries Before I turn over from this Chapter of the Lord Cook concerning Heresie I shall observe these two things First The boundless license that the Prelates used to take under colour of Law to suppress and quash the non-Conformists informer times that they Phaeton Fablelike by their reignless Fury ranged through the Region of Christs Kingdom plucking the Flowers from his heavenly Crown and Dignity usurping his great Throne as also running through the Thrones of Earthly Princes setting them on fire as they pleased whereby with other places the world of our Brittish Iland was often scorch't with their too fiery Rayes Secondly That the Satute concerning Heresie c. made in q. Eliz. dayes was principally intended to restrain those Irregular Notions and to contract their lawless Rage in a narrower compass so the work look't backward rather then ought besides although the contrivers had not the heart and happiness to cut it clean off and to cast it out for ever as may appear in this place to the Judicious Reader and by the Statute it self as also by the second Part Institutes In Articulis cleri especially in pag. 615. But I am too tedious King HENRY the eighth was a blustering Prince and quarrelled with the Roman Court See the Statute 31 Hen. 8.4 yet Lutherans and others were very odious to the Kingdoms Powers the principle of persecution was kept alive with very great offence to Christianity as all can now believe by those that loved to Lord over their Brethrens Conscience yea the Inquisition reaches to the Kings own Chamber and takes the queen from his side There were six bloody Articles saith Mr. SPEED enacted that made it death to such as held or taught the contrary Who can remember and forbear to melt at English sufferings EDWARD the sixt was a young yet wise and tender Prince our Israels Josiah Speed's Histor pag. 1046. he would not send an Heretick to Hell before his time as may be gathered from Mr. FOX and others yet persecution lived it could not die they kept it alive that knew how to over-awe the Court by cunning Policy for that sate ruling sometimes and enveagling stil the civil Power to unsheath the Sword against dissenters in Religion Who can repeat the Marian bloody dayes without laments Now Rome is called in again to help the doing of what was done too much before England can persecute without the Pope as may be seen above his Spirit is here although unto his Person or his Name we bid defiance But now they flash and lay about indeed The Prelates rage the more because they had little check before and like fire pent in a little break out in desperate flames and the poor Protestants die ELIZABETHS beginning was like water in abundance falling on the Fires all over England it coold and brake them all yet did it not kill or quench the Coals they lay glowing still and were stirred up against Professors still upon occasion because men would not know their liberty The Spirit of Violence lodging still in mens breasts and labouring to bring the Judgements of others to their Girdle And so it went from hence into K. JAMES's Reign t is a continued Line not broken though a little lessen'd for the Puritanes were as Thorns in the Prelates eyes and they were rubbing still to get them out they could not see so well whiles these were neer them King CHARLS follows and drinks in the poisonous Wines the Prelates are as formerly his Cup-Bearer the common people were too much delighted with the sport these made They raged and staggered in this Spiritual Drunkenness Separatists and stucrk at many Non-Conformists till at last they lighted on those three Gentlemen Mr. BURTON Mr. PRIN and Dr. BASTWICK The seat of the Bishops is very high their Authority great and their mindes as cruel They cared not for a Parliament though they had as much room there as any and as much honor The Prerogative and Arbitrary Rule of this King did please them better as being more serviceable to their purpose you have them in their High Commission in the Star-Chamber every where They please the King and he gratifies them with what they like well enough The relation of their proceedings with the three above named is worth the reading * New Discovery of the Prelates Tyranny printed Anno 1641. where you may see their Will instead of Law their Tyranny instead of Piety Before we go any further let us look upon what is past with these queries 1. Whether the Magistracie of England hath done its Duty in taking Cognizance of things relating to Religion 2. Whether all present and future proceedings to oppresse the Conscience will not justifie theirs and fill up the measure of their iniquity 3. Whether such cruel dealings with dissenting men do not manifestly shew they had no better argument

the end of civil Government is the peoples wel-ware and their welfare consists in the preservation of their Liberties and Estates from wrong and robbery and the Governours are to watch that these be not invaded by force or fraud of any for it can never be imagin'd that a people should elect a Prince to rule them upon any other terms or to any other purpose then that of their well-being And for this cause and only this they pay their Tribute and bow down themselves in honour and obedience Cook 's Redintegratio Amoris no Law of Nature or Reason binding men to choose or serve such a power that doth directly seek or indeavour to procure their ruin and destruction 'T is no need for me to dispute here if I could the rights of a pure and downright conquest for the present State of this Nation looks not with that face nor is it manifestly profest as I know And yet there are very bold interpreters of State-proceedings that have confidence enough to speak much this way to insinuate themselves by such an attribution into the affections of the present Power that they may sleep and dream securely in its bosome Sadler's Rights of the Kingdom c. p. 81. of 30. after 93. whether by the error of the Printer or 〈◊〉 ex Beda But I must not stand so far off the present intendment 't is manifest that the peoples Liberties have been in former as well as later times surprized and rent and torn from them and in special the Liberty of Conscience the subject principally aimed at and the loss or curtailing thereof most deplored in this Address that men must not be free to think or speak their thoughts about the things of heaven if they differ from the Statute-Religion without endangering of their lives or freedome There was a time wherein the interest of Christianity was cleerly distinct and carried distinctly from the Civil In the primitive times when the Government of the Church was invested in the person of the Son of God and in him it yet resides and the New Testament was established before men the Kings and Rulers of the Nations were altogether Infidel and Paganish and so they continued generally till the Brittish Constantine sate down in the seat imperial during most of which time the Gospel flourisht much and its worshippers did conquer still although they suffered without the least dependance on the arm of the Nations powers The sword of the spirit was then found sharp enough to cut off Heresie arising and Hereticall men and if it be nature and right reason in a Magistrate to censure and subdue such as speak against the God of his Nation as t is believed the Roman Emperors are justified by reason and the Law of nature because they persecuted the Christians who if they preacht the Gospel must be thought to speak against the God of their Country but how the Law of nature and right reason which are the work or rather are of God as well as ought beside can be set at so great a variance with the Gospel even to the point of sword the one piercing the very bowels of the other by this state maxime I cannot readily understand But I suppose the rule must be qualified with a provision to make it hold the better during the intervall then between the first dawnings of the New Covenant and the times of Constantine the great there was little compliance between the spirituall and secular Interest and the Church received little from the Emperors or their Deputies besides the Torments and effusion of blood After the time of this Constantine the first Christian Emperor the minds of the Church-leaders began to flagg much in the spirituall Profession of Christ and they that were profest Teachers of men in Divine Truth do contrary to the nature and ends of Christianity make their nests in the profits and pomp of the world whiles by their example as well as by their doctrine they should have provokt men to heavenly-mindedness Now poyson was sent into the Church t was an Oracle they say heard in the Aire the Bishops consult for earthly honour and a pompous Religion or worship much in outside and popular ostentation They are in conjunction with the Grandees and Rulers of the Nations the better to effect their worldly ends they lie down together and between them there is amongst others this bastard hellish Brat of violence and persecution begoten to be laid at the doors of whomsoever they pleased that now if any shall take the boldness to correct their errors in doctrine or worship they can quickly make him hold his peace or send him packing Nay now all the Nations under these godly Kings and Bishops must will they nill they submit to that worship and those Rules they shall Impose upon them by the arguments of force and violence if not by the force of their arguments Now the beast with the seven heads and ten horns and that with two are fitly brought up and joyned together to support each other mutually and to call in their worshippers and to destroy those that refuse to come prophesied on long before Rev. 13. throughout and the Apostacy of the Churches is much manifested to the sons of light whereby they see the truth of Pauls doctrine about the man of sin The Christian Hierarchy thus degenerated and falling down to worldly Interests as to an Idol they most adored hasten to the setting of Church matters by the power of the Magistrate which they have by this time in some good measure made theirs and to bring the professing Nations thereby to an uniformity in doctrine and discipline under pretence of avoiding confusion when indeed nothing hath proved more banefull and poysonous to the sons of men and more prejudiciall to the work of Christs Kingdome then this very thing of forcibly imposing upon men in cases of opinion and conscience But the Kings of the Earth have committed Fornication with the whore and the wine thereof is sent far abroad unto all the Nations to the intoxicating of their minds and here we are more or less at this present This Island of Great Brittain was too near to that part of Christendome where the pranks of this drunken Interest became first to be played to escape the temptation and to keep her self unspotted of that damned concupiscence that now like a devouring fire begins by little and little to consume the marrow and the sinews of true Christian love and Gospel light It may be thought on better grounds then some are acted now that those who ere they were that first arrived at the Brittish harbors for the sowing of the seed of Christ the Word of the Kindome in this peoples hearts came not with sword and fagot with them to consume and torture such as would not give it entertainment Surely the instruments they used in this work for the plowing of the minds of the Nation that lay fallow upon which