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	liberty_n	parliament_n	4,708	5	6.3048	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28914	Manifest truth, or, An inversion of truths manifest containing a narration of the proceedings of the Scottish army, and a vindication of the Parliament and kingdome of England from the false and injurious aspersions cast on them by the author of the said manifest.	Bowles, Edward, 1613-1662.	1646 (1646)	Wing B3873; ESTC R19508	56,538	84

discourse Pag. 67 68 69. occasioned by a Speech uttered publiquely by one to this purpose That the maine quarrell the Parliament stood for at first and thereafter did take up armes for was not Religion nor the reformation of the Church but the freedome and libertie of the Subject Which saying he pleads to be injurious but handles it injuriously for he makes the sense of that speech to be this The Parliament did not from the beginning intend a true reformation of Religion wch it affords not the Parliament may intend reformation and yet not fight for it And without prejudice to the Parliament let me declare my opinion The Parliament I doubt not did looke at Religion as the foundation and perfection of the Kingdomes happinesse and had it chiefly in their eye Some indeed have thought them more intent to Liberty upō a mistake they could not be earnest for Religion unlesse they were for Liberty which is the fence and preservative of the practise of it But yet if I were asked the ground of the Parliaments taking up armes de facto I should not answer the reformation of Religion for I make some question whether Religion especially the reformation of it be so proper a quarrell for the sword but that seeing the King instead of suffering Justice to be executed upon offenders prepared violence against the Parliament and in it against our liberty with all the fruits of it of which the enjoyment of Religion was the choicest they raised an Army to defend us and themselves that they might sit with freedome and liberty to performe their trust for the preservation and reformation of the Kingdome which they have attended as much as the difficulties and distractions of the times would permit And to that end called an Assembly of Divines that they might from them receive some light to direct them in the execution of their power in matters of Religion He spends some further time in discussing that Position Whether Liberty were the maine quarrell I answer They looked at Libertie primò but not primariō Religion as the furthest end but Liberty as the next meanes The infringement of libertie gives advantage to corruption in Religion as our Adversaries well know when they with equall pace brought on slavery and superstition Here the Author takes a needlesse ground to tell the people that which is not true That they are in a worse case in respect of Liberty then formerly by paralleling Committees with the Star-Chamber and Taxes with Ship-money This sounds more like sedition then truth For howsoever Committees may be guilty of partialities and miscarriages yet their maine intent is our preservation not our burthen as the other Courts were And we have now a better appeale from a Committee to the Parliament then we had from the Star-chamber to the King Injury may be done now as well as then but not so professedly or with so little remedy And as for taxes heavier then Shipmoney I wonder either at your face or at your judgement In the beginning of the 70 pag. you make a plaister of the necessitie of taxes but it is not so wide as the wound The wiser of the people see and discover your fallacious dealing and see a great deale of difference betwixt the Kings destroying their right in Ship money and the Parliaments preserving their right notwithstanding taxes which I hope will not last long I passe to the second exception against the new Modell pag. 72. 74. which is led up by a story of the Kings courting the Scottish Officers and his successe which I meddle not with The exception is that at the making of the New Modell were cashiered of the Scots in one day above two hundred brave fellowes I answer the Parliament were entring upon a way of good husbandry in reducing their Armies and it may be they thought these brave fellowes would be too chargeable But in earnest you say two hundred of the Scots were cashiered you should have used a milder terme and said reduced Cashiering implyes a fault Reduction none As two hundred Scots so soure hundred English were at that time put out of employment and brave fellowes too for ought I know It 's strange to mee that the Parliament of England should not without exception forme an Army as seemes best to them for their own defence and the Kingdomes Especially when the Scots had so great an Army in England and another in Ireland where employment was to be had But the Parliament to shew they had no nationall respect named foure Colonels of the new Modell and some Captaines besides a Lievtenant Colonel who is adjutant Generall of their foot a place of great trust who all except the last refused to serve The grounds of their laying downe are said to be three First because the rest of their Countrymen were not employed There was no use of them if we had men of our own Nation they were in reason to be preferred ●eteris paribus and it is not without its exception that they will not serve unlesse so many together Secondly They were nominated to inferiour employments that is a question they were but Major Generalls to Major Generalls and Commanders of parties but I stand not upon that Let the Earle of Manchester Sir William Waller be Generalls yet those Gentlemen knew that in the places they came from beyond Sea if they returned they must accept of such employments as these or lower and I hope we shall not have a perpetuall warre in England Sudden risings from a Lieutenant Colonell to a Lieutenant Generall must have fudden falls Thirdly Men unacquainted with warre and averse to the Covenant should have been employed with them from whom they could not expect true sellowship or obedience to Orders The men have confuted your Exception for Military vertue by their diligence and valour And though there be in the Army men that have taken the Covenant and make conscience of it yet if there be any that have not there is no discord but all unanimously prosecute the ends in the Covenant so farre as they are matter of Warre As for your question Whether the Parliament in leaving out some or the Officers not left out in laying downe their Commissions were more in the Wrong It 's answered neither of them in the Wrong Me thinkes he that considers how faithfull and how succesfull the Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax hath been and reckons up Naseby Leicester Langport Bridgewater Sherborne Bristoll Basing Winchester Barkley and other Honour which God hath put upon that Army should be well content with the New Modell But an Objection followes But God hath blessed the honesty and piety of some men extraordinarily in the new Army so that great things are done by it This is a sad objection but you answer'd it by acknowledging the good done but no thanks to the profession of Holinesse of this or that man they will joyne with you and say in the Apostles language Acts 3.

Manifest Truth OR AN INVERSION OF Truths Manifest Containing a NARRATION of the Proceedings of the Scottish Army and a Vindication of the Parliament and Kingdome of England from the false and injurious aspersions cast on them by the Author of the said Manifest PROV. 18. 17. He that is first in his own cause seemeth just but his neighbour commeth and searcheth him Published by Authoritie LONDON Printed by M. S. for Henry Overton in Popes-head-Alley and Giles Calvert at the Spread Eagle at West end of Pauls 1646. THE PREFACE THough all possible care shall be taken that this ensuing Discourse may need no Apology yet the misconstruction it is lyable to in this quarrelsome age may require a Preface in which I shall not as the Author of Truths Manifest goe about to quicken the appetite of my Reader by a self-commendation but if I regarded the praise of men should much rather choose to be commended by another in the end of my worke then by my selfe in the beginning But out of a great and just tendernesse of doing or being thought to doe any thing which might tend to any alienation betwixt these happily united Kingdomes I thought fit to declare as followeth First that a hearty union betwixt the two Kingdomes of England and Scotland as it is most agreeable to Religion and the solemne Covenant so it is eminently requisite to their mutuall preservation both from the illegall intrenchments of their owne King and from the attempts of forreigne Princes or States for by such an inviolate conjunction they shall be kept from being instrumentall to each others ruine which hath lately been designed upon both successively by their owne King that he might become absolute Lord of them both to the prejudice if not ruine of Religion and Liberty As also Strangers especially the French shall be prevented in their wonted designe which hath been to raise and foment differences betwixt these Kingdomes and have been forward to assist Scotland against England not for love to Scotland but hatred or feare of England which they have looked upon as a dangerous Neighbour And let me adde further that the continuation and confirmation of this Union will not prove onely an Ornament to the Protestant Religion but a great advantage to the propagating of it and will also make us more capable of righting our selves Confederates and Allyes against any injuries or usurpations that are or shall be offered And I hope these apprehensions shall over-awe my pen that it walke very circumspectly in the ensuing discourse Secondly give me leave to say that this Union doth not necessarily inferre a confusion or mixture but may as well and it may be better stand with a full reservation to each of their peculiar Lawes Priviledges Governments and possessions It is hard if not impossible to find two persons that shall concurre to an universall compliance in their friendship but are glad to find a correspondence in some things and content to yield a mutuall forbearance in others This is more difficult to be found in States who have besides their diversities of Lawes and Government more differences of generall and particular Interests then private persōs are capable of And though through Gods mercy these two Kingdomes are more happy then other Confederates who like bodies exactly sphericall touch but in a point as they have occasion by their Ambassadours yet the nature of affaires and men permits not they should meet as two bodies exactly plaine in every point For though their Interests be the same sc the conservation of their Liberties against Tyranny and Religion the choycest fruite of their Liberty against any thing destructive to it yet the customes and constitutions of the Kingdoms and the dispositions of the people may be so different besides other incident disadvantages that an universall close is rather to be desired then expected and something must be left to time and more to him who alone challenges the Prerogative of fashioning mens hearts alike And it may be added that such an union is not onely not possible but not necessary for Conjunction being but a meanes to some further end is no further requisite then it conduces to that end of mutuall preservation There is indeed beside the benefit a native beauty in unity but to be violent in pressing of it is to scratch the face that it may be beautifull and when accomplishd as it is thought it will be found rather to be a paint then a naturall complexion I shall onely take Liberty to adde further that the pressing an exact uniformity in Church or a union of mixture in State the nature of persons and things not admitting it may hinder a union of conjunction in those things which are possible and necessary And I pray God it be not the Designe of some under the pretence of union in things presently impossible to promote a difference in that which is necessary Thirdly as this discourse springs not from any principle of disaffection to the Scottish Nation so I hope none will force any such conclusions from it beyond my meaning though without my guilt For my part I freely professe that I think it may in its owne nature as well as its intent tend more to the preservation of union then the occasioning of distraction Upon this ground we have patiently received and read two Manifests to which the Questionist from St. Andrewes hath added something not a little reflecting upon the Parliament and Kingdome of England the first untouch'd produced a second this second may bring forth and in the close of it intimates a third and possibly a worse till under pretence of justification of our brethren the charges against our selves may grow intolerable and occasion greater inconveniences Fourthly I hope the distance of time intervening betwixt the booke and the Answer cannot afford an objection against it First I staid to see if somebody that was more able or more concerned would undertake it Secondly it is a businesse of great tendernesse and importance and occasioned many thoughts of heart which did long delay it but could not prevaile against it For I am able truly to say with the Author of Truths Manifest that not so much the love and honour of my own Nation which yet I hope shall be alwayes deare to me as Covenant and conscience and consideration of the good of both Kingdomes have put me upon this worke and carried me through it for it is found that unequall complyances especially with natures not so good doe but make way for greater disadvantages which cannot alwayes be borne And though it be alwayes better to suffer wrong then doe it and sometimes better to receive wrong then require right yet the most beaten path to peace and justice which I thinke now it becomes me and others to walk in is neither to doe wrong nor to suffer it For though a man may part with his owne Right for publick advantage yet I know no Rule of parting with other mens