Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	covenant_n	king_n	kingdom_n	2,844	4	5.8167	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75429	An ansvver to the cities representation set forth by some ministers of the Gospel, within the province of London. Concerning the proceedings of the army. By a Presbyterian patriot, that hath covenanted to preserve the rights and priviledges of Parliaments, and the Kings Majesties person and authority; in the preservation, and defence of the true religion and liberties of the kingdoms; and not otherwise. February 7. 1648. Imprimatur Gilbert Mabbot.		1649 (1649)	Wing A3399; Thomason E541_23; ESTC R205927	13,928	26

An ANSVVER TO THE Cities Representation Set forth by some Ministers of the Gospel within the Province of London Concerning The Proceedings of the ARMY BY A Presbyterian Patriot that hath Covenanted TO Preserve the Rights and Priviledges of Parliaments and the Kings Majesties person and Authority In the preservation and defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdoms and not otherwise Acts 5.38 If this councell or this work bee of men it will come to nought Ver. 39. But if it bee of God yee cannot overthrow it lest happily yee bee found even to fight against God February 7. 1648. Imprimatur Gilbert Mabbott LONDON Printed by Robert Ibbitson in Smithfield neer the Queenes-head Tavern 1649. AN ANSWER To the late REPRESENTATION OF THE Ministers of LONDON I Desire not to make the breach wider betwixt the ministry and the Army it s an ill time to have the word and the sword of the Lord to differ when both should helpe him against the mighty That which is subtilly fastned upon the Army and their Councells to wit that they are Jesuited I wish it were not applicable to all sorts of opposers in this age who have too little of Jesus and too much of the Jesuite in their transactions savouring too much of calumny and policy Not to take up every thing but to touch upon those that are of most weight and concernment in this Representative which comming from a Colledge of Divines may therefore carry credite to the discrediting the good work in hand of settling the Kingdome in safety and peace hitherto so vainly promised and contrarily indeavoured that the hearts and hands of those concerned in it and by it may be upheld and the Kingdome no more rendered miserable with vaine hopes nor peace impossible which were a work worthy of a Jesuite indeed These London Ministers first relate upon what termes they would have consented to a conference and tell us what opinions they would have delivered on the case it seems what reasons soever might appeare to the contrary for a conference supposed the result is conclusive that the Armies courses are unwarrantable pag. 2. against the direct rule of the word and as they conceive out of their sphere p. 3. wherein they speak as if never any thing had been or could be spoken in the Armies justification where as such reasons have been already given and such authorities shown both humane and divin in treatises to that purpose that are not satisfyingly refelled with bare affections though from never so many nor never so worthy men whose disjunctions from the Army are not of yesterday procured indeed by the Armies unadvised encroachments upon their calling and some disparagements cast thereupon which were just provocations but not to be had in everlasting remembrance 2 Cor. 14.20 specially when the publicke peace is concerned in their love and union Then they reckon up the severall late proceedings of the Army against as they say lawfull authority especially by their Remonstrance a sober rationall and convincing peece not answerable by abrationall man for I count Mr. William Sedgwicke none imprisoning the King without consent of Parliament meaning the secluded Members and the late unparaleld violence offered to the Members Had these Divines condemned the Londoners for imprisoning the Parliament not some Members making a prison of the Parliament House and driving the Speaker c. thence they might then with much more candor have blamed the Army now but some may better steal a horse then others looke over the hedge if that was not a crime as I never heard it laid to their charge then this is no errour Many of which Members they say are known to be men of eminent worth and integrity and have given ample testimony of their reall affections to the good of this Kingdome It had been well they had always continued of that mind then had they been neither imprisoned nor hindred but if they be so good and beare so good affection to the publicke they will take it the lesse ill to be hindred from doing so ill offices as to hazzard the Kingdome in the hands of the King in freedome honour and safety whose hands they could not bind by restraint Next thing is the Armies contriving of a new moddell of Lawes and Government and the Representative It s much such men should stumble at Reformation onely for alteration sake as if old things because old were faultlesse whereas our Lawes are as they are made our greatest burdens insomuch as a man had as good take wrong as seeke right and our Government serving for little other then to furnish the times with newes by doing and undoing tossing the poore people between hopes and feares Why may not alterations of Government bee as necessary in State as Church Bishops were too old to bee good and so may many things else and therefore not for that reason to be insisted on All which practises they judge to be against Authority so are Pulpits too when they are disposed Oathes and Covenants though they are sworn absolutely to the safety and liberties of Religion and the Kingdom and to the Parliam and King but relatively and in order to these So that these Divines should either have forborne to cite those words of the Covenant as the Scots were wont to doe or have demonstrated how Religion and Liberty could have been preserved without taking these courses If they think the Treaty sufficient let them speak out and shew how a man of that perfidie and policy the King is off could with safety to either have been restored to freedome honour and safety that notwithstanding all bonds of Morality and duty hath from time to time thrust at them and hazzarded them as he hath done If we must have yeelded our selves to slavery and ruine better have done it at first then at last we should have had more mercy then now we can look for To let a Bear loose from the stake with his chaine hanging on him such loose restraint is the way to make him the more fierce If the Army should surcease as they advise the Members be restored and peace setled as was voted and the King restored neither Episcopacy abolished nor Delinquents punished were the Covenant kept and the Kingdome secured These Divines would then be unsatisfied with themselves when by their means such horrid effects would follow as would make both their ears to tingle I would gladly know how the Army into whose hands God hath put the power of prevention could without breach of Covenant have suffered all to goe to ruine which they are sworn to preserve by preserving those things King and Priviledges which inavoydably conduced thereunto and were become inconsistent therewith Besides their owne safeties who else must alwayes have been fighting or sure of hanging Besides infinite honest men who probably ere this had been crying woe worth the Parliament if not these Divines themselves considering the party in the Kingdome that waited for

to cry up the ends and decry the means how to suppresse tyranny and not Tyrants is a hard lesson The most excellent Mathematicians are to seeke when they goe to Sea Theory and Practise are two things one may better make a Vtopia then manage a Commonwealth Book learned men are apt to thinke it as easie for others to do as for them to think But Statesmen and Souldiers know better then Students what belongs to settlement and finde it not so easie to bring both ends together as these Divines imagine and therefore are forced to doe like Alexander cut the knot when they cannot unlose it for the peace and safety of the Kingdome must not alwayes hang in the briars It is to be hoped that though the House be pulled downe there will be provision made we shall not lye out of doors but a mean be found out betwixt Tyranny and Anarchy and more then meer private persons to bear rule The next thing insisted on is the obligation that lyes upon us by Oath and Covenant Pag. 8. To preserve the Rights and priviledges of Parliaments the Kings Majesties person and authority in the preservation and defence of the true Religion and liberties of the Kingdome This last conditionall clause In preservation of Religion and Liberties is made to serve but as a cypher in the Covenant the Scots Commissioners were wont to leave it out the better to blinde the people and cite the preceding part without it These Divines do tant ' amount for though they cite them joyntly yet they urge the other abstractly and as superiour to this never telling us how these may be provided for in case the other should not be granted notwithstanding the apparent inconsistency of them both For the King in whom the present Government of Lords and secluded Members are involved they voting a settlement upon his non-concessions and refusing that of non-addresses and bringing him to justice thereby to put a period to delayes both in liberty and restraint hath twice put Religion and Liberties to such an hazard as had not God miraculously preserved them they had perished irrecoverably and we with them in lives and estates and no better can be expected from him justifying his wayes now at his Triall at last as at first labouring to confront and not to relent which is a mercy of God that he retains his nature without dissembling it lest the hypocrite should reigne and so the people be insnared These Oaths were never intended by maker or taker against the Laws and duty of God and Nature which indeed no oaths can violate The reason is rendred why we swore the preservation of his person to wit to expresse our Loyalty that those wars were not undertaken upon any rebellious or personall purposes but of necessity in respect of Religion and Liberty upon the point to be utterly subverted and that we were ready to lay downe Armes and receive him with those respects belonged to him whensoever it did appear that those might be secured which never did yet since those oaths were taken and therefore notwithstanding them the Parliament went on to fight him to the just hazard of his person and now judicially to proceed against him as not otherwise able to discharge that great trust that lyes upon them touching the wellfare of this and succeeding generations Page 9. They say They dare not by the violation of this oath provoke the wrath of God But put case your advice should be followed as to the King and Parliament priviledges dare you thereupon affirme the oath to be kept if Religion and Liberties should suffer and the Kingdome be undone thereby our Oath is not categoricall but hypotheticall so that if the keeping of the one part be the breaking of the other for so is our case then the question is which must be kept and which must be broken whether to satisfie you we should keep it on the Kings part or to satisfie our own reason and conscience we should keep it on the Commonwealths part and if in your sense it doe binde so strictly for the Kings preservation why did you suffer war to be made upon him without like advice wherein his person might have perished nay did perish as to the oath he running the like hazard with other men without difference or distinction so that rationally in the use of means though not actually his person was destroyed notwithstanding the Parliament it selfe had sworne to preserve him and no fault found In the same Page they dehort the Army from proceeding any further I will not say a Jesuit is in it and tell them they were once Honourable with them and others whilst they kept in Gods way and within their sphere there lay their fault indeed but they have eclipsed their own glory brought a cloud over all their excellencies It seems these Divine thinks the Country to be spirited towards the Army like the City Indeed the Malignants and Newters thinke as hardly of them for this as they can wish but the godly and sincere I meane those of no faction and without byasse who in conscience to God and with publicke spirits undertooke this cause for Religion Liberty and to bring Delinquents to condigne punishment doe blesse them in the Name of the Lord in this and for this as a deliverance equall to the first or second Warre and are not a little afflicted in spirit to see you to bee become the rejoycing of the Cavaliers and the lifter up of the heads of those prophane wretches in the day that God hath humbled them and glorified himself upon them God keep your own glory and the Gospell engaged in you from being eclipsed and your excellency from being beclouded in the wayes of contradiction that you are in neither helping the Lord nor strengthning them that doe Be more sensible of the City sins over-looke not their faults that are under you their defection and backsliding from publicke principles setting up the worst men in the best places pressing the Parliament with clamorous and menacing Petitions to destructive purposes imprisoning the whole House in the House till they had voted the King to London and threatning worse things if they came againe forcing away the Speaker and the faithfullest Members refusing to aid their honest Major Generall against the common Enemy though as it were at Townes end and scoffing those few that did barely looking on and worse at the siege of Colchester Why then beholdest thou the more that is in thy brothers eye but considerest not the beame that is in thine owne eye Are these and such like veniall in your owne Parishioners and mortall in the Army judge with righteous judgement The Ministers goe on in the same Paragraph and say We feare you are opening a doore to desperate and damnable Errours and Heresies Truely I doubt so too but never the more for suppressing the King and secluding the Members one thing I am confident of that it will not be a