Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	king_n	law_n	liberty_n	6,707	5	6.5575	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A80455	The copy of a letter from a Lincolne shire gentleman; sent to his friend in the city of London.		1660 (1660)	Wing C6116; Thomason E1016_3; ESTC R208258	3,149	7

THE Copy of a Letter From a LINCOLNE Shire Gentleman Sent to his Friend in the City of LONDON Printed 1660. A Copy of a Letter from a Lincolnshire Gentleman sent to his friend in the City Section I. Worthy Friend SInce my last in a concurrence with the generall if not unanimous Vote of this Nation this County hath sent up a Declaration being awaked out of that dull Lethargick stupifaction that had long seized their Spirits to a quick resentment of their own condition To solemnize the approaching Funerals of the glory and happinesse of this Nation with their sad Complaints if timely remedies be not applied which I shall not despaire of since as Physitians tell me the sense and knowledge of the disease is a great advance towards health And that those hidden charms that lay wrapt up in the prostitute name of Parliament to bewitch us hath lost its force even with me and others that once adored that great Diana the Craftsmen or Mechanicks of our times set up even to the pulling down of Scepters Laws Religion nay Parliaments themselves considered in their originall Rights and Constitutions though my designe was no more at the taking up of Arms then their pretences even a pruning off of luxurious excrescences in Church and State not a digging up of the Vine and in so much I am still the same though not in my Actings any longer in Countenance of those that departed from themselves Duties and Oathes yet am I resolved ever to oppose all exorbitances in State Innovations in the Church and invasion of our Liberties I first engaged against and in it agree I think with all truly wise and honest Englishmen § II. And I conceive these Considerations and the like have animated these parts into generous Resolutions if they cannot Vindicate their Rights no longer to betray them by their silence and Compliances daring to die their Countries Martyrs rather than not attempt their Duties Resolving with the Cantabrian to Augustus though their goods of Fortune may by Tyranny and Usurpation be taken from them they will be their own and Gods and having discovered the great Impostures of the Mountebanks at Westminster will no longer be Cheated out of their dearest Interests seeing their pretences how specious so ever are but a painted Flower upon a withered Stalk a Devill in Samuels mantle When under pretence of Religion they let in Athiesm and by abuse of our Liberty lay snares to enslave us turning our Laws and Charters into Arbitrary Votes the Negative Voices and ballancing Interests of King and Lords being forced from us yet by it they give us a holy advantage in shewing us that in our present Condition we enjoy rather an Aëry than reall being when by a vapour a breath those Senators may take away ours our Lives Liberties and Religion at once And yet by it they undermine those pillars that should support their own Houses to Posterity and make Shackles for their Children to weare § III. Nay so highly insolent is their Cruelty as they force us to be instrumentall to our own ruines by payments to support their Usurpation and to twist a Cord to hang our selves and are not onely acting but enacting mischief as Law which ought to make Crimes not Virtue the object of its punishment and to stand as the Pin in the Ballance a middle thing between Supream Power and Common Right which they yet deny us in obstructing our enjoyment of a Free Parliament the onely prudentiall Remedie under God to compose our distractions unite our Affections and concenter all Interests in a Consciencious submission and obedience to lawfull Authority the very Nerves and Sinews and Ligaments that can keep the body Politick in a happy combination at home and make it both reverenced and feared abroad open Trade and secure under God all other blessings § IV. And therefore as your Cities Declaration gave the first Invitation to other Counties to Declare I hope you will still continue fixt as the Centre in the Circumference however things moves in their vicissitudes about you in your Resolves to stand for a Free and Full Parliament § V Which implies Freedome in Sitting from all Force Freedome in Elections to sit where the known ancient Laws restrains not and Freedome from all previous Oathes and Engagements as the Essentials and Elements out of which it is Constituted the Legislative Power however it may regulate it self in its Actings being never to be bound with humane Cords Nay not by it self in that it may nay ought to unloose the knois it ties when publick Interest and utility requires it And therefore should not be confined by any more high and sacred bands nor admit of discriminations of Persons in law eligible which are but the breasts that feeds and nourish Divisions Distractions and Animosities amongst us § VI. However since all humane law obliges Conscience onely in things which in their nature are indifferent and Arbitrary and that by our Fundamental Constitution every mans Consent is therefore presumed to concur actually or virtually in his Proxies in those laws he is to be submitted to as may appear by the Petition of Right We all unanimously Resolve no more Taxes Excises Customs ought by the present Dictators to be laid upon us and therefore not to pay them unlesse charged by a Free Parliament which we desire may be insinuated unto your Common Councel who have yet carried themselves with great shew of Gallantry Prudence and publick affection to the Kingdomes Settlement and Peace That as we aim at one Port we may steer by one Compass And the better to take in all Interests 1. We shall desire Indemnity to all that oppose not a Full and Free Parliament 2. Indulgence to all tender Consciences that seek Peace not Faction with the Vindication of our Established Religion from all its Opposers 3. The Souldiers satisfaction in relation to their Arreares and for the present the Counties will resolve if your City concurre voluntarily to raise 60000 l. a Month and to pay it into the hands of their several Treasurers by them immediately to be paid to such Regiments as the General and Army shall assigne to each County and this to continue till a Free Parliament take further care for them which will pay them fully for the future and advance something towards the Arreares of those that shall in this way witnesse their good affection to this Nation and redeem the prey out of the hands of those Land-Pirates at Westminster Who all this while have made a gain of them and us § VII In which we cannot doubt of my Lord General Monks concurrence he is in all opinions a person of so intire a worth Though yet abused by the specious pretenses of a ruling faction when he sindes the greatest part by much if not all of the Kingdome desire it as the onely means to compose us at home and secure us from many now united and powerfull enemies abroad especially if he will but consider how often this pretended Rump of a Parliament that poysons all with their Hellish Fumes hath been dissolved as 1. By the Kings death as all great Lawyers will agree who was the most essentiall part of it his assent onely giving a being and animation to all Lawes 2. As the Bill it self by which they pretend to disinherit the Primo-Geniture of the Trienniall Act. Referrs to the Parliament as then composed of three Estates when one dissentinge no Act could pass 3. By their severall dissolutions and submissions to other called Parliaments and by most of their sittings as members in them 4. By the Counties new Elections which was an actuall revocation of their Trust and Power 5. By the forfeiture of their rights to sit as a house of Commons in the forcihle expulsion of the best part of their members 6. By their breach of Trust their Commissions as delegated by their elections being onely to advise with the King in rebus arduis weighty affaires not to destroy him as appears by the Writts of Summons And all this with the violation of their faith both to God and man Wilfull breaches of their Declarations Oaths and Covenant So as a person of Generall Moncks worth and honour can never upon digested thoughts espouse their cause and crimes by his protecting them however he is a person of too much Piety and prudence to ingage us in a civill and forraign Warr at once where so faire and Just an expedient as a Free and full Parliament to be called by the Trienniall Act is proposed for the skirts and ragg of an exspired Parliament which would botch up a garment onely for their own wearing leaving us stript and naked by depriving us of all our Rights and all this for the maintaining their guilt and interest who care not to prevent the rack of our ship of state wherein all are imbarked if they may but stand upon land themselves and therefore be not discouraged by what he hath yet appeared but let us do our duties and leave the event to God which is the resolution of Your lately converted Servant