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	majesty_n	3,064	5	5.9700	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91570	The nevv distemper. Written by the author of the Loyall convert. Hilar. de Trin.Lib. 4. Hoc habet proprium Ecclesia; dum persecutionĕpatitur, floret; dum opprimitur, proficit; dum læditur, vincit: dum arguitur, intelligit; tunc stat quum superari videtur.	Quarles, Francis, 1592-1644.	1645 (1645)	Wing Q110; Thomason E17_20	19,252	30

been permitted nay unadvisedly undertaken by some of our Ministers who themselves are though little better wherein they have made many Proselites and left many of the vulgar who judge the victory to the most words indifferent Have they not after their disputations retired into their Innes and private Iodgings accompanyed with many of their Auditors and all joyned together in their extemporary prayers for a blessing upon their late Exercise How often hath Bow-river which they lately have baptiz'd New Iordan been witnesse to their prophanations How many daily make their private meetings and assemble in the City of London to exercise their Ministery How many have been convicted of Blasphemy and yet unpunisht How many times have their witnesses been taken against some of our most learned and religious Ministers for which some are plundered some sequestred and some imprisoned How many of our Ministers whose severity proceeded formerly against Fornicators Adulterers Drunkards Swearers and such like are now undone upon their revengefull witnesses and testimony appearing now for the better colouring of their malice well affected to the Cause All which in time will so encourage all Sects Factions Hypocrites and make Heresie so bold strong in this Kingdome that the true Protestant Religion will be under the detestable name of Popery even turned out of doores for company or at least so little favoured that it will be forced to s●rowd it selfe in corners as those Sectaries did before these troubles were Ob. I but when things are setled and Iustice done upon the Popish Faction these Sectaries with their Sects will vanish like the Mist before the mid day sun and a true reformed Religion will be establisht to us and our Posterity Ans You seeme by this Objection but a young State Physitian and a meere novice in the curing of a disease of this nature In some cases where the undisturbed humors keep their bounds distempers are quickly evaporated and being scatterd through the whole body every part breathes out some and Nature being able to truckle with the disease by her owne power relieves her selfe and in a short time rectifies the Body But upon a continuall confluence and gathering head of lawlesse humors she is so weakned that she hath no power to resist and lesse heart to struggle with her enemy but is forced to yeeld But the time you prefixe for the subduing of these numerous Sects is first when all things are setled secondly when the Land is cleared of Papists 1. For the first It is all one as if you had said When the body is in good health you will easily find a cure A rare Physitian In the meane while you will connive at this continued confluence of humors which makes it at length incureable 2. As for the second Take heed while ye goe about to cure a Fever you run not the Body Politick into a Dropsie with too much Phlebotomie But you will first cleare the Kingdome of Papists And who be they In your Accompt all such as stand for Episcopall Government a Government coetaneous with this our almost out-dated Religion All such as approve of the Book of Common Prayer a Forme establisht by many Acts of Protestant Parliaments All such as are passively obedient and loyall to his Majesty a duty commanded by Gods own mouth Of the Clergie all such as will not preach for blood although Ministers of the Gospel of Peace All such as will not take the Covenant to suppresse Bishops although they have formerly sworn canonicall obedience to their Ordinary All such as wil not encourage Subjects to resist the power of their naturall Prince although having taken the Oath of Allegeance and the late Protestation And to conclude all that have not contributed willingly bountifully and continually to this Warre and in a word that have any considerable Estates to pick a hole in If all Sects and Sectaries be not supprest till then we are like to have a comfortable Reformation But in case you onely meane such Papists as owne and acknowledge the doctrine of the Church of Rome Tell me what course would you take with them Either you must banish them or disinherit them or take away their lives 1. If banish them It must be done either with the Kings consent or against it If against it you resist the power and he that resisteth shall receive damnation Rom. 13. If with it you make the King guilty of perjury who hath sworne to protect all his Subjects in his Coronation Oath 2. If disinherit them It must be done either according to the known Lawes of the Kingdome or against them According to the Lawes ye cannot for there is no Law for it If against them you transgresse what you pretend to maintaine in all your Declarations 3. If take away their lives It must be done either for a Cause or without a Cause If for a Cause shew it that the world may be satisfied If without a Cause you are guilty of murther Which course soever ye take you have not Christ for your example who quietly suffered the two Caesars being Idolaters not onely to possesse that Kingdome but to usurp it because God permitted them and permissively placed them there When the Disciples askt our blessed Saviour Didst not thou sow good wheat Whence commeth it that there be tares His answer was The evil one hath done it His pleasure being demanded whether they should weed them up his Reply was No Let them alone untill the harvest and then he would separate them A good deed may be ill done when either against command or without warrant Though God hath permitted the evill one to plant Papists among us yet he hath not authorized us to root them up nor yet to take the lives of any untill their actions come within the danger and compasse of the establisht Lawes of the Land Ob. We have presidents for the rooting out of Idolaters in the Scriptures which warrant us to doe the like Ans You finde it no where but in the time of the Law at which time God immediately commanded it which kind of Warrants are now ceased Again In the time of the Law some were accompted Strangers And strangers had not the priviledges that brethren have Vsury was lawfull to be taken of strangers not of brethren Now in the times of the Gospel Christ hath made us all Brethren and called us by his own name Christians and what was lawfull then to be done to strangers is unwarrantable now to be done to Christians We are brethren Ob. Then Protestantisme and Popery may be consistent in one Kingdom and Gods name may be harmelesly prophaned with Idolatry and superistition in the same place where it is truly and sincerely worshipt Ans Your inference is not good It is one thing for a Prince to protect his subjects and an other to be partaker with them or to allow of their superstitions Kings cannot enforce Consciences though pitcht upon a false Religion All that Magistrates

can do against them unlesse for Seducing which a particular Statute made Treason is to punish their purses for not observing his Statutes respectively or for exercising their Religion contrary to his Lawes But well it were if such a necessity of Connivance had no such subject to work upon How happy had it been for this unlucky kingdom if his Majesties most prudent and pious offer two yeare since propounded to us had been accepted in this particular That all the Children of his subjects of that Religion should be taken from them and educated in the Religion of the Church of England By which means the whole Kingdom in a short space of time would have been peaceably reduced to an Vnity in Doctrine And if the same course were taken with othe Strectaryes an Vniformity in Discipline also But our Kingdom must not expect an universall and through Reformation in all particulars till Catechismes be more strictly used and the entercourse of Embassadours which cannot simply be avoyded and Legers be restrained and strict statutes made and executed against sectaries But to returne to our first matter Admit Episcopacy were a Government accidentally inconvenient and that a more fitting Government were discovered prepared and made ready to be set up It would be but a new untryed Government and not experimentally known what proportion it would beare without temporall Constitutions A horse may be well metled and conditioned and every way commendable for the saddle yet not draw well in a Coach or Chariot A great part of our Common-Law is bu●lt upon the Cases of Bishops insomuch that if that Government be changed there must be a necessary alteration of many Lawes of the land And what incovenience may arise from such an Alteration I leave to the Judgment of Lawyers being not unworthy of some Consideration But let these things be accompted not Inconveniencyes and that the Hierarchicall Government is fit to be demolished either for the abuse of it by some few exorbitant Prelates or for the mischiefes that follow in respect of it self in that it administers such occasion of offence yet the too sudden Execution of a busines of so great aconsequence and concernment gives a livelyer testimony of passion then discretion if polititions may have credit and savours of extremity which is opposite to all virtue and too much rashnesse the distemper of all serious and honorable undertakings Too sudden an Alteration in matters of small moment passes not without some inconvenience but in things of such a nature as a Government nay a Church government too the nursery of the whole kingdoms happinesse or misery it cannot be without imminent danger but the sudden alteration of a fundamentall government of the Church which necessarily carryes the state with it threatens nay brings no lesse then unavoydable ruine to both A Rashnes too much we feare relishing of private ends to demolish that government in twelve moneths which hath been setting up and maintained by as wise generations as ours above foureteen hundred yeares How happy had it been for this at that time prosperous but now miserable kingdom had we taken the advantage of that greatest blessing that ever gracious Prince confered upon unthankfull Subjects the Trienniall Parliament wherein we might every 3 years have inspected this new recoverd Kingdome and kept it alwayes in a perfect Crisis the approaching Terror whereof would not have afforded popular evils so long a time or liberty to root themselves or gather head against the peace and welfare of our happy Government through the benefit whereof we might have taken an advantageous leisure and mature deliberation to ripen every Bill and by degrees to rectifie every nonag'd Crievance and indeed what happinesse was there which we had not then an offerd opportunity to bring upon this now unhappy Land The Government of the State as in many things it was reduced into an excellent temper so questionlesse had not this unnaturall difference interposed it had in all things by the continued goodnesse and favour of His Sacred Majesty been perfected to the comfort of us and the happinesse of succeeding Generations The Government of the Church likewise might by the vertue of the granted Trienniall been narrowly and exactly searcht into The Governours strictly observed The Bad turned out and changed for better They that deserved punishment punisht according to their misdemeanours Others lesse offending through some neglect reproved and checkt and upon no amendment the next Trienniall proceeded against accordingly The Fig-tree was not presently cut downe Root and Branch but suffered till another yeare And punishments before an Admonition are too rashly and severely inflicted Thus by this graduall and Trienniall Course Mercy and Justice would have incorporated the Government of the Church had been establisht the peace of this Kingdome had been secured the bad Governours had been rectified or removed the good encouraged and honoured and Peace and Truth had kist each other But the multitudes of these our nationall sins were too great to permit so great a Blessing on this Nation as the benefit of this Trienniall Parliament God suffered Abraham to see the holy Land but for the transgressions of the people not to possesse it God shewed us a glimpse of that mercy which our sins made us unworthy to enjoy and snatcht it from us In which respect we are now left to our owne wayes and governed by our owne Inventions and what is worse we are neither penitent for our nationall sins nor our owne nor what is worst of all sensible of Gods Iudgements nor our owne miseries How often have our Moderne Ministers in their unmeditated prayers before the open Congregation given God joyfull thanks for these blessed times Eccles ● Whereas if their hearts had not been hasty to utter any things before God they might have rather petitioned for a removall of these his terrible judgements How often have they prayed for the continuance of these happy dayes whereas 〈…〉 had not their mouthes been rash they might better have deprecated those miseries How often have they in their Sermons blasphemously challenged God upon the forfeiture of his Justice to crowne their Cause with Victory How often instead of wholsome doctrine have they delivered such reports as their Consciences knew Fables and were before next Sabboth Lyes upon Record How often have they preached downe Subjection to Princes and encouraged the Sword to grow warme in the blood of Christians How often have they Articled against Orthodoxe able and learned Divines and crowded themselves into their Livings who upon my certaine knowledge some of them can neither make true Latine nor write good English and then lay their preferment upon the wisdome of the Parliament How many children above a yeare old because their fathers are suspected to be loyall to their Prince continue unbaptiz'd many parishes can witnesse How long time is it since the last Sacrament of the Lords Supper was administred let the people tell if their memories

a new to be set up lest the tender Consciences of some should be offended The businesse being thus controverted it was at length voted for the purging of the old to which service were appointed Doctor Cranmer Archbishop of Canterbury Doctor Goodrick Bishop of Ely Doctor Skip Bishop of Hereford Doctor Thirlby Bishop of Westminster Doctor Day Bishop of Chichester Doctor Holbeck Bishop of Lincoln Doctor Ridley Bishop of Rochester Martyr after B. of London Doctor Cox King EDWARDS Almoner Doctor Taylor Deane of Lincoln Martyr Doctor Heynes Deane of Exceter Doctor RedmanDeane of Westminster Master Robinson Archdeacon of Leycester Mense Maio 1549. Anno Regni Edwardi sexti tertie Whereof three were famous Martyrs and the rest men of unquestionable sanctity soundnesse and learning which being done was authorized by Act of Parliament in that blessed Kings reigne Edw. 6. and with a full Consent received into the Church of England confirmed by divers Acts of Parl. in the dayes of Qu. Eliz. King Iames and King Charles our now gracious Soveraigne whom Almighty God long preserve But this establisht Discipline had no sooner being but enemies of which sort the devill hath alwayes instruments to nip the Plants of Religion in the Bud whose number daily since encreasing grew hotter and hotter in opposition and stronger and stronger in faction being too long for peace sake conniv'd at and at last too unseasonably and violently opposed insomuch that the disease in these our late dayes grew too powerfull for the Remedy so that the Distemper of our Church in that respect is growne so high that I feare Phlebotomy will rather produce a further languishment being already come to Madnesse then a Cure Nay so far have the Enemies of this establisht Government and Discipline given way to their exorbitant and refractory Opinion that they will neither allow the Matter nor the Forme nor the Authority and testimony of the Composers 1. Not the Matter though they cannot but acknowledge it in the generall to be very good yet because it was unsanctified by superstitious lips 2. Not the Forme because set and composed by Humane Invention 3. Not the Composers because Bishops and so though Martyrs for the Cause of God and his true Religion Members of Antichrist 1. As for their Exceptions against the Matter how ridiculous they are let Reason judge Have not superstitious tongues and eyes viewed and read the Scriptures in their very Originall and purity Shall therefore the Scriptures be disallowed Have not superstitious persons profaned our Churches with their Popish Doctrines Sacraments and Ceremonies and shall our Churches therefore be cryed downe or shut against the Ordinances of God because those Poets were Heathenish was S. Paul afraid to use their sayings Was the Spirit of God too blame to endite them Good things abused worke evill effects upon the abusers but lose not their goodnesse by the Abuse 2. As for their Exceptions against the Forme being set and not conceived the Authority of the Scriptures I hope will answer God the Father warrants it God the Son prescribes it God the holy Ghost allowes it 1. God the Father warrants it in the Old Testament at the time of the Law by his command to Moses Numb 6. 21. where he gives him a set forme and words to blesse the people The Lord blesse thee and keep thee the Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee 2. God the Sonne prescribes it in the New Testament in the time of the Gospel When S. Iohn the Baptist had taught his Disciples to pray the Disciples of Jesus Christ whose house was called the house of Prayer humbly requested the same boone from him who prescribed them that Forme which he had formerly used in the end of his Sermon Mat. 6. 9. which he intended not as a Model as some would have it but a very Prayer it selfe to be used in those very words as they were delivered Luke 11. 2. not After this manner but when ye pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say That he will'd the same words to be used is evident For his Disciples would be taught as Iohn taught his And how were they taught S. Iohn taught them the words onely he could not give them the Spirit to make an extemporary descant upon them So that being a direct Set Forme it warranted Set Formes which were used from the beginning of the Primitive Church from whence this part of our Discipline had her originall 3. God the holy Spirit allowes it Who dare question that the holy Spirit inspired S. Paul in all his Epistles written to the Churches In all which Epistles he concludes with this one Prayer The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ c. 3. As for their exceptions against the Composers of this Lyturgie who were no lesse then holy Martyrs and by Fire-light saw more Revelations then these Objectors did by day-light men of approved learning and true piety though some have impudence and spirituall pride enough to think their owne abilities and inspirations to flye a higher pitch and Ignorance enough to acknowledge greater knowledge in themselves yet the most humble able and truly sanctified minds have alwayes had Martyrdome in so high reverence that they conclude that God that made their blood the seed of the Church and gave them the courage and honour to dye in the maintenance of the Truth would not permit that seed to bring forth such darnel of superstition or them to die guilty of those Errors they so resolutely cryed down with their dying blood 2. As for her government by Episcopacie the extirpation wherof being a great addition to her Distemper It hath as much or more Ius Divinum to plead then that which endeavours to demolish succeed it Presbyterie Both are but mentioned in the Scripture at large but no particular Rules for the executing the office of either which being left wholly as arbitrary it rests in the power of the Supreme Magistrate whom God hath constituted his Vicegerent to choose and establish which may best be found consistent with the Constitutions of the Kingdome and stand to most advantage with the civil Government But admit the Civil Government will stand with either When the Balances stand eavenly poised the least Grain turns it In things indifferent the smallest circumstance casts it This Island of Britaine if we look back above 1400 yeares being a long Prescription when she first received the Faith was then governed by King Lucius whom God made a great Instrument for reducing of this Kingdome from Paganisme who sending to Rome and accommodated from thence with two Christian and learned Divines by their labours and Gods assistance upon them planted the Gospel At the beginning of which plantation Arch-Flamins and Flamins were put downe and in their roome Archbishops and Bishops were introduced which Government successively continued and flourisht through the reigns of many wise Princes confirmed by many Acts of Parliament since the Reformation exercised and