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	government_n	kingdom_n	3,695	5	5.8013	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A78645	His Majesties answer to the XIX. propositions of both Houses of Parliament.	England and Wales. Sovereign (1625-1649 : Charles I); Charles I, King of England, 1600-1649.; Colepeper, John Colepeper, Baron, d. 1660.; Falkland, Lucius Cary, Viscount, 1610?-1643.	1642 (1642)	Wing C2122; Thomason E151_25; ESTC R10823	17,528	34

a Nationall Synode which may duely examine such Ceremonies as give just cause of Offence to any We should take it into Consideration and apply Our Self to give due satisfaction therein That We were perswaded in Our Conscience that no Church could be found upon the Earth that professeth the true Religion with more purity of Doctrine then the Church of England doth nor where the Government and Discipline are joyntly more beautified and free from Superstition then as they are here established by Law which by the grace of God We will with Constancie maintain while We live in their Purity and Glory not onely against all Invasions of Popery but also from the Irreverence of those many Schismaticks and Separatists wherewith of late this Kingdom and Our City of London abounds to the great dishonour and hazard both of Church and State For the suppression of whom We required your timely and active assistance We told you in Our first Declaration printed by the advice of Our Privie Councell That for differences amongst our selves for matters indifferent in their own nature concerning Religion We should in tendernesse to any number of Our loving Subjects very willingly comply with the advice of Our Parliament that some Law might be made for the exemption of tender Consciences from punishment or prosecution for such Ceremonies and in such Cases which by the judgement of most men are held to be matters indifferent and of some to be absolutely unlawfull Provided that this ease should be attempted and pursued with that modestie temper and submission that in the mean time the Peace and quiet of the Kingdom be not disturbed the Decencie and Comelinesse of Gods Service discountenanced nor the Pious Sober Devout actions of those Reverend Persons who were the first Labourers in the blessed Reformation or of that time be scandalled and defamed And We heartily wish that others whom it concerned had been as ready as their duty bound them though they had not received it from Vs to have pursued this Caution as We were and still are willing and readie to make good every particular of that Promise Nor did We onely appear willing to joyn in so good a Work when it should be brought Vs but prest and urged you to it by Our Message of the fourteenth of February in these words And because His Majestie observes great and different troubles to arise in the hearts of His People concerning the Government and Liturgie of the Church His Majestie is willing to declare That He will refer the whole consideration to the wisdom of His Parliament which He desires them to enter into speedily that the present distractions about the same may be composed but desires not to be pressed to any single Act on His part till the whole be so digested and setled by both Houses that His Majestie may cleerly see what is fit to be left as well as what is fit to be taken away Of which We the more hoped of a good successe to the generall satisfaction of Our People because you seem in this Proposition to desire but a Reformation and not as is daily preached for as necessary in those many Conventicles which have within these nineteen moneths begun to swarm and which though their Leaders differ from you in this opinion yet appear to many as countenanced by you by not being punished by you few else by reason of the Order of the House of Commons of the 9th of September daring to do it a destruction of the present Discipline and Liturgie And We shall most cheerfully give Our best assistance for raising a sufficient maintenance for preaching Ministers in such course as shall be most for the encouragement and advancement of Piety and Learning For the Bills you mention and the Consultation you intimate knowing nothing of the particular matters of the one though We like the Titles well nor of the manner of the other but from an Informer to whom We give little credit and We wish no man did more Common fame We can say nothing till We see them For the 11th We would not have the Oath of all Privy Councellors and Judges straitned to particular Statutes of one or two particular Parliaments but extend to all Statutes of all Parliaments and the whole Law of the Land and shall willingly consent that an enquirie of all the breaches and violations of the Law may be given in charge by the Justices of the Kings Bench every Terme and by the Judges of Assize in their Circuits and Justices of Peace at the Sessions to be presented and punished according to Law For the 17th We shall ever be most ready and We are sorry it should be thought needfull to move Vs to it not onely to joyn with any particularly with the States of the united Provinces of which We have given a late proof in the Match of Our Daughter for the defence and maintenance of Protestant Religion against all designes and attempts of the Pope and his adherents but singly if need were to oppose with Our life and fortune all such Designes in all other Nations were they joyned And that for Considerations of Conscience far more then any temporall end of obtaining accesse of strength and reputation or any naturall end of restoring Our Royall Sister and her Princely Issue to their Dignities and Dominions though these be likewise much considered by Vs. For the 18th It was not Our fault that an Act was not passed to cleer the Lord Kymbolton and the five Members of the House of Commons but yours who inserted such Clauses into both the Preamble and Act perhaps perswaded to it by some who wish not that you should in any thing receive satisfaction from Vs as by passing the Preamble We must have wounded Our Honour against Our Conscience and by another Clause have admitted a Consequence from which We could never have been secured by declaring That no Member of either House upon any Accusation of Treason could have his Person seized without the Consent of that House of which he is a Member though the known Law be That Priviledge of Parliament extends not to Treason and if it did any Member the House being for a short time adjourned and so their Consent not being so had how treasonable soever his Intentions were how cleerly soever known and how suddenly soever to be executed must have fair leave given him to go on and pursue them no way how Legall soever after the passing such a Clause being left to prevent it To conclude We Conjure you and all Men to rest satisfied with the Truth of Our Professions and the Reality of Our Intentions not to ask such things as deny themselves That you Declare against Tumults and punish the Authours That you allow Vs Our Propriety in Our Towns Arms and Goods and Our Share in the Legislative Power which would be counted in Vs not onely breach of Priviledge but Tyranny and Subversion of Parliaments to deny to you And when you shall have given Vs satisfaction upon those Persons who have taken away the One and recalled those Declarations particularly that of the 26th of May and those in the point of the Militia Our just Rights wherein We will no more part with then with Our Crown lest We inable others by them to take that from Vs which would take away the other and declined the beginnings of a War against Vs under pretence of Our Intention of making One against you as We have never opposed the first part of the 13th Demand so We shall be ready to concur with you in the latter And being then confident that the Credit of those Men who desire a generall Combustion will be so weakned with you that they will not be able to do this Kingdom any more harm We shall be willing to grant Our generall Pardon with such Exceptions as shall be thought fit and shall receive much more joy in the hope of a full and constant Happinesse of Our People in the True Religion and under the Protection of the Law by a blessed Vnion between Vs and Our Parliament so much desired by Vs then in any such increase of Our Own Revenue how much soever beyond former Grants as when Our Subjects were wealthiest Our Parliament could have setled upon Vs. FINIS

writ and printed in a tongue unknown to Vs and Our people it might have been possible We and they might have charitably beleeved the Propositions to be such as might have been in Order to the ends pretended in the Petition to wit the establishing of Our Honour and Safety the welfare and Security of Our Subjects and Dominions and the removing those Jealousies and Differences which are said to have unhappily fallen betwixt Us and Our people and procuring both Us and them a constant course of Honour Peace and happinesse But being read and understood by all We cannot but assure Our Self that this Profession joyned to these Propositions will rather appear a Mockery and a Scorne The Demands being such as We were unworthy of the trust reposed in Vs by the Law and of Our Descent from so many great and famous Ancestours if We could be brought to abandon that power which onely can inable Vs to performe what We are sworne to in protecting Our People and the Lawes and so assume others into it as to devest Our self of it Although not onely Our present Condition which it can hardly be were more necessitous then it is and We were both vanquisht and a Prisoner in a worse condition then ever the most unfortunate of Our Predecessours have been reduced to by the most criminall of their Subjects And though the Bait laid to draw Vs to it and to keep Our Subjects from indignation at the mention of it the promises of a plentifull and unparaleld Revenue were reduced from generals which signifie nothing to cleer and certain particulars since such a Bargain would have but too great a resemblance of that of Esaus if We should part with such Flowers of Our Crowne as are worth all the rest of the Garland and have been transmitted to Vs from so many Ancestours and have been found so usefull and necessary for the welfare and Security of Our Subjects for any present necessity or for any low and sordid Considerations of Wealth and gain And therefore all men knowing that those Accommodations are most easily made and most exactly observed that are grounded upon reasonable and equall Conditions We have great Cause to beleeve that the Contrivers of these had no intention of setling any firm Accommodation but to increase those Iealousies and widen that division which not by Our fault is now unhappily fallen betweene Vs and both Houses It is asked That all the Lords and others of Our privy Councell and such We know now what you mean by such but We have cause to think you mean all great Officers and Ministers of State either at home or beyond the Seas For care is taken to leave out no Person or place that Our dishonour may be sure not to be bounded within this Kingdom though no subtile Insinuations at such a distance can probably be beleeved to have been the cause of Our distractions and dangers should be put from Our Privy Councell and from those Offices and imployments unlesse they be approved by both Houses of Parliament how faithfull soever We have found them to Vs and the publike and how far soever they have been from offending against any Law the onely rule they had or any others ought to have to walk by We therefore to this part of this demand return you this Answer That we are willing to grant that they shall take a larger Oath then you yours selves desire in your 11th Demand for maintaining not of any part but of the whole Law And We have and do assure you That We will be carefull to make election of such persons in those places of trust as shall have given good testimonies of their abilities and integrities and against whom there can be no just cause of exception whereon reasonably to ground a diffidence That if We have or shall be mistaken in Our election We have and do assure you that there is no man so near to Vs in place or affection whom we will not leave to the Iustice of the Law if you shall bring a particular charge sufficient proofs against him And that We have given you the best pledge of the effects of such a promise on Our part and the best security for the performance of their duty on theirs a Trienniall Parliament the apprehension of whose Iustice will in all probability make them wary how they provoke it and Vs wary how We chuse such as by the discovery of their faults may in any degree seem to discredit Our election But that without any shadow of a fault objected only perhaps because they follow their conscience and preserve the established Laws and agree not in such Votes or assent not to such Bils as some persons who have now too great an Influence even upon both Houses judge or seem to judge to be for the publike good and as are agreeable to that new Utopia of Religion and Government into which they endeavour to transform this Kingdom for We remember what names and for what Reasons you left out in the Bill offered Vs concerning the Militia which you had your selves recommended in the Ordinance We will never consent to the displacing of any whom for their former merits from and affection to Vs and the publike We have intrusted since We conceive That to do so would take away both from the affection of Our servants the care of Our service and the Honour of Our Iustice And We the more wonder That it should be askt by you of Vs since it appears by the 12th Demand That your selves count it reasonable after the present turn is served that the Judges and Officers who are then placed may hold their places quàm diu se bene gesserint And We are resolved to be as carefull of those We have chosen as you are of those you would chuse and to remove none till they appear to Vs to have otherwise behaved themselves or shall be evicted by legall proceedings to have done so But this Demand as unreasonable as it is is but one link of a great Chaine and but the first round of that Ladder by which Our Iust Ancient Regall Power is endeavoured to be fetched down to the ground For it appears plainly that it is not with the persons now chosen but with Our choosing that you are displeased For you demand That the persons put into the places imployments of those who shal be removed may be approved by both Houses which is so far as to some it may at first sight appear from being lesse then the power of nomination that of two things of which We will never grant either We would sooner be content that you should nominate and We approve then you approve and We nominate The meer nomination being so far from being any thing that if We could do no more We would never take the paines to do that when We should onely hazard those whom We esteemed to the scorn of a refusall if they hapned not to be agreeable

reconciliation of Differences would be then sent to them as they now have joyned to send to Vs till all Power being vested in the House of Commons and their number making them incapable of transacting Affairs of State with the necessary Secrecie and expedition those being retrusted to some close Committee at last the Common people who in the mean time must be flattered and to whom Licence must be given in all their wilde humours how contrary soever to established Law or their own reall Good discover this Arcanum Imperii That all this was done by them but not for them grow weary of Iourney-work and set up for themselves call Parity and Independence Liberty devour that Estate which had devoured the rest Destroy all Rights and Proprieties all distinctions of Families and Merit And by this means this splendid and excellently distinguished form of Government end in a dark equall Chaos of Confusion and the long Line of Our many noble Ancestors in a Jack Cade or a Wat Tyler For all these Reasons to all these demands Our Answer is Nolumus Leges Angliae mutari But this We promise that We will be as carefull of preserving the Lawes in what is supposed to concerne wholly Our Subjects as in what most concernes Our selfe For indeed We professe to beleeve that the preservation of every Law concernes Vs those of obedience being not secure when those of protection are violated And We being most of any injured in the least violation of that by which We enjoy the highest Rghts and greatest Benefits and are therefore obliged to defend no lesse by Our interest then by Our duty and hope that no Iealousies to the contrary shall be any longer nourished in any of Our good People by the subtill insinuations and secret practices of men who for private ends are disaffected to Our Honour and Safety and the Peace and Prosperity of Our People And to shew you that no just indignation at so reproachfull offers shall make Vs refuse to grant what is probable to conduce to the good of Our good People because of the ill company it comes in We will search carefully in this heap of unreasonable Demands for so much as We may complying with Our Conscience and the duty of Our Trust assent unto and shall accordingly agree to it In pursuance of which Search in the 4th Proposition under a Demand which would take from Vs that trust which God Nature and the Laws of the Land have placed in Vs and of which none of you could endure to be deprived We finde something to which We give this Answer That We have committed the principall places about Our Children to persons of Quality Integrity and Piety with speciall regard that their Tender yeers might be so seasoned with the Principles of the true Protestant Religion as by the blessing of God upon this Our care this whole Kingdom may in due time reap the fruit thereof And as We have been likewise very carefull in the choice of Servants about them that none of them may be such as by ill Principles or by ill Examples to crosse Our endeavours for their Pious and Vertuous Education so if there shall be found for all Our care to prevent it any person about Our Children or about Vs which is more then you ask against whom both Houses shall make appear to Vs any just exception We shall not onely remove them but thank you for the Information Onely We shall expect that you shall be likewise carefull that there be no under-hand dealing by any to seek faults to make room for others to succeed in their places For the 5th Demand as We will not suffer any to share with Vs in our power of Treaties which are most improper for Parliaments and least in those Treaties in which We are neerlyest concerned not onely as a King but as a Father yet We do such is Our desire to give all reasonable satisfaction assure you by the word of a King that We shall never propose or entertaine any Treaty whatsoever for the marriage of any of Our Children without due regard to the true Protestant Profession the good of Our Kingdoms and the Honour of Our Family For the 6th Demand concerning the Lawes in force against Jesuites Priests and Popish Recusants We have by many of Our Messages to you by Our voluntary promise to you so solemnly made never to pardon any Popish Priest by Our strict Proclamations lately published in this point and by the publike Examples which we have made in that case since Our Residence at York before at London sufficiently expressed Our zeal herein Why do you then ask that in which Our own Inclination hath prevented you And if you can yet finde any more effectuall Course to disable them from Disturbing the State or eluding the Law by trusts or otherwise We shall willingly give Our Consent to it For the 7th concerning the Votes of Popish Lords We understand that they in discretion have withdrawn themselves from the Service of the House of Peers had done so when use was publikely made of their names to asperse the Votes of that House which was then counted as Malignant as those who are called Our Unknown and Unsworne Councellors are now neither doe We conceive that such a Positive Law against the Votes of any whose blood gives them that right is so proper in regard of the Priviledge of Parliament but are content that so long as they shall not be conformable to the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England they shall not be admitted to sit in the House of Peers but onely to give their Proxies to such Protestant Lords as they shall chuse who are to dispose of them as they themselves shall think fit without any Reference at all to the Giver As to the desires for a Bill for the Education of the Children of Papists by Protestants in the Protestant Profession many about Vs can witnesse with Vs That We have often delivered Our Opinion that such a Course with Gods blessing upon it would be the most effect all for the rooting out of Popery out of this Kingdom We shall therefore thank you for it and encourage you in it and when it comes unto Vs do Our Dutie And We heartily wish for the publike good that the time you have spent in making Ordinances without Vs had been imployed in preparing this and other good Bills for Vs. For the 8th touching The Reformation to be made of the Church Government and Liturgie We had hoped that what We had formerly declared concerning the same had been so sufficiently understood by you and all good Subjects that We should not need to have expressed Our Self further in it We told you in Our Answers to your Petition presented to Vs at Hampton-Court the first of December That for any illegall Innovations which may have crept in We should willingly concur in the removall of them That if Our Parliament should advise Us to call