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	majesty_n	parliament_n	3,897	5	6.3360	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79473	Chillingworthi novissima. Or, The sicknesse, heresy, death and buriall of William Chillingworth. (In his own phrase) Clerk of Oxford, and in the conceit of his fellow souldiers, the Queens arch-engineer, and grand-intelligencer. Set forth in a letter to his eminent and learned friends, a relation of his apprehension at Arundell, a discovery of his errours in a briefe catechism, and a shorr [sic] oration at the buriall of his hereticall book. By Francis Cheynell, late fellow of Merton Colledge. Published by authority.	Cheynell, Francis, 1608-1665.	1644 (1644)	Wing C3810; Thomason E36_7; ESTC R13256	46,148	66

the second and third Epistles of John the Epistle to the Hebrewes the Epistle of Jude the book of the Revelation the books of Job Esther Ecclesiastes c. He saith he cannot in reason so undoubtedly beleeve those books to be Canonicall which have beene questioned as those which were never questioned At least I have no warrant to damne any man that shall deny them now having the example of Saints in Heaven either to justifie or excuse such their deniall chap. 2. sect. 38. pag. 67. Surely here is a pretty tempting excuse for if not a justification of those Libertines who question these books and may upon Mr Chillingworths principles question all the rest if they acknowledge one of the Gospels that containes as much as all the rest Ergo that is sufficient pag. 93. 101. But if they beleeve no booke to be Canonicall and therefore will not assent to any book of Scripture they doe not commit a sinne of derogation from Gods perfect and pure veracity for he onely gives God the lye who denies some book or point which he himselfe knowes or beleeves to be revealed by God chap. 3. sect. 15 16 17. Now it is impossible that a man should know one thing to be true and beleeve the contrary or know it and not beleeve it sect. 18. Whither these and the like principles which frequently occurre in his writings tend let the most sober and charitable men judge The only Fundamentall Errour in Mr Chillingworths judgement is to deny something which the party himselfe knowes or beleeves to be revealed by God and therefore in his judgement none but downe-right Atheists erre fundamentally cap. 2. p. 135. 136. Atheisme then as the Jesuites and Arminians conceive is the formality of an Heretick p. 100. for it is down-right Atheisme for any man to deny that to be true which he acknowledges to be spoken by the God of truth Qu. But if I doe beleeve the Scripture to be Gods word is it necessary to beleeve that controversies are to be decided by that Word An. No saith Mr Chillingworth this is no Fundamentall point his words are full I say that this position Scripture alone is the rule whereby they which beleeve it to bee Gods word are to judge all controversies in faith is no Fundamentall point chap. 2. pag. 115. His intent is by this assertion to make good a dreame of his that some controversies in faith need not be judged or determined at all Mr Chillingworth pretends that he holds the Scripture to be a perfect rule of faith and yet he saith it is not necessary to judge all controversies and those no small ones because they are controversies in faith by that perfect rule It is a perfect rule but we need not be ruled by it in all points of faith Qu. But is there then any other way to decide controversies which hath any colour of probability from the Scripture An. Yes nine or ten severall meanes of agreement offered themselves to Mr Chillingworth upon the sudden and haply more might have beene thought on if he had had time and these that are offered have as much probability from Scripture as that which Papists obtrude upon us And truly he was such a ready blasphemer that he could vent extemporary blasphemies yet such as the Licentious men at Oxford approved chap. 3. pag. 130. 131. First he saith we could if we would try it by lots whose Doctrine is true and whose false for which he cites Prov. 16. 33. It may be this Sophister did cast lots for his Religion and it was his hard lot to draw Popery first then Arminianisme and then his doctrine run lower and lower till it came almost to the very dregs of Socinianisme Secondly we could referre it to the King Prov 16. 10. and 21. 1. Mr Chillingworth might make merry with his owne prophane doctrine but I admire that he should dare to sport himselfe with the Majesty of Scripture and the Majesty of the King But truly I am afraid that some are so indifferent in point of Religion that they are content not only to referre it to the King but to the Queene It were proper for them to vent such Doctrine who have as the old Tradition and proverbe hath it taken an oath to be of the Kings Religion Thirdly to an Assembly of Christians assembled in the name of Christ Math. 18. 20. Let them not then blame the Parliament for consulting an Assembly of learned and pious Christians and most of them Ministers of the Gospel assembled in the name of Christ Fourthly to any Priest Malach. 2. 7. This makes well of the Queens side Fifthly to any Preacher of the Gospel Pastour or Doctour Math. 28. 20. Sure Mr Chillingworth was more independent then they that are commonly so called Sixthly to any Bishop or Prelate why not then to the Bishop of Rome for it is written Obey your Prelates Heb. 13. 17. Mr Chillingworth since his pretended conversion was very apt to be seduced by the vulgar or Rhemish translation or some version received at Saint Omers but this was a voluntary and devised meanes as he saith in the same page Seventhly to any particular Church of Christians seeing it is a particular Church which is called the house of God a pillar and ground of truth 1 Tim. 3. 15. and seeing of any particular Church it is written He that heareth not the Church let him be unto thee an Heathen Matth. 18. Mr Chillingworth is sometimes Prelaticall and sometimes Congregationall Eighthly we might referre it to any man that prayes for Gods spirit for it is written every one that asketh receives this is one steppe beyond the Brownists Matth. 7. 8. James 1. 5. Lastly we might referre it to the Jewes for without all doubt of them it is written My spirit that is in thee c. Isaiah 59. 21. And why not to the Socinians they have naturall reason a very competent Judge in Mr Chillingworths conceit What wonder is it that so many blasphemies and quibbles for every quibble upon Scripture is a blasphemy should be licensed by grave and learned Professours of Divinity what if Papists take liberty to blaspheme and put the Scripture upon the rack to force it to confesse what makes for their turn must Protestants or such a one who undertakes the common Cause of Protestants though he was no Protestant bee permitted to blaspheme by the Licence of an University Repent deare Doctors once more repent and I will proceed Qu. But how shall I know the true sense of Scripture there being such variety of conceits which passe for Interpretations Answ Here help mee Reason again and Implicit Faith For the last Resolution of my Faith in his conceit must be into Reason page 65. 96. and still he labours to prove that Reason is Judge and he frequently jeares at Knot for accounting it an absurdity for every man and woman to rely upon their Reason in the interpreting of Scripture p. 98. Reasons drawn

rather Doctor it is unreasonable for the Head to neglect the preservation of it selfe and the body but it is very reasonable for to lift up both armes to defend the head and the whole body and therefore reasonable for both houses to take up armes and lift up their armes put forth their whole strength to defend the King and themselves Doctor Ferne talkes of a Fundamentall constitution which hath provided this temper of three Estates as the reasonable meanes of our safety But I must confesse that it cannot enter into my dull pate to conceive that our Government is of any setled temper or that we have any reasonable meanes provided for the safety of this Kingdome by that fundamentall constitution if the King may doe what he pleases seize on our goods 't is Doctor Fernes supposition imprison our persons kill us outright and which is worse overthrow our Lawes our ●iberties our Religion and all at once and by consequence enslave not onely the bodies but the consciences of our posterity and there is no more power in both houses of Parliament to protect us by force against force then if we had no such remedy provided as the government of three Estates Are we not subjected to an absolute Monarch if the other two Estates have no legall power to releeve our neglected or oppressed Common-wealth how are we secured by the temper of three Estates or how can it be called a temper or a temper of three Estates if the first of the three may oppresse us and the other two have no power to releeve us Sure I am that by this account there is but one Estate that hath a true power and therfore that Estate must be an estate of absolute Monarchy which Dr Ferne himselfe seemes to abhorre and yet so vaine is that Doctor as to call the Power of Supply legally placed in both Houses of Parliament a Conceit nay a vaine Conceit his words are these The Conceit of Supply by the two Houses in case the King refuse to preserve the Kingdome is a vaine Conceit and if that be true then I must conclude that this provision of a Temper of three Estates is no Temper no provision two of the Estates are no Estates or else this provision is in the phrase of Doctor Ferne a lame provision which argues the first contrivement of our Ancestors very inconsiderate because then it followes that there is no Reasonable Meane of safety provided for this Kingdome by that Fundamentall Constitution which provided this Temper of three Estates so the Doctor loves to call it though he make one Estate so praedominant that as there is no Temperamentum ad pondus so there will bee no Temperamentum ad justitiam neither by his conceit How say you Sir John are not you of my perswasion or are you ashamed to tread in the steppes of your learned Countrey-man The Lord open your eyes and cleare your eye-sight you are naturally sharp-sighted but if your eye look red or yellow you know your disease by the symptome It sball be my prayer that your eye may neither be dimme nor blood-shotten Consider that the blood of the 70 was laid upon Abimelech their brother who slew them and upon the men of Shechem which had ayded him by strengthning his hands to kill his brethren Whether you have strengthned their hands who slew their Brethren only for being too zealous in the maintenance of that Religion which you professe I appeale to God your Conscience and the evidence of the fact If you have dealt truly and sincerely with this * Reforming Parliament nay with your owne party rejoyce and flatter your selves with hope of a desired successe but if not then take heed the curse of Iotham doe not fall upon you there may be an evill spirit sent between the Irish and English the French and Spanish factions nay fire may come out from the Queen and consume the Prelates and fire from the Prelates and consume the Papists or else there may come a fire from the North a fire to purge and refine not to destroy which is my prayer and will be your happinesse I will not hold you any longer upon the racke Learne the first lesson of Christianity Self-deniall deny your owne will and submit your selves to Gods deny your reason and submit to faith Reason tells you that there are some things above reason and you cannot be so unreasonable as to make reason judge of those things which are above reason Remember that Master Chillingworth your friend did runne mad with reason and so lost his reason and religion both at once hee thought he might trust his reason in the highest points his reason was to be Iudge whether or no there be a God Whether that God wrote any Booke Whether the bookes usually received as Canonicall be the bookes the Scriptures of God What is the sense of those books What Religion is best What Church purest Come doe not wrangle but beleeve and obey your God and then I shall be encouraged to subscribe my selfe Your Friend and Servant FRANCIS CHEYNELL A briefe and plaine Relation of Mr Chillingworths Sicknesse Death and Buriall together with a just Censure of his Works by a Discovery of his Errours collected out of his Book and framed into a kinde of Atheisticall Catechisme fit for Racovia or Cracovia And may well serve for the instruction of the Irish Welch Dutch French Spanish Army in England and especially for the Black Regiment at Oxford I Am very religious in observing that old proverbe if it be taken in its right sense Nothing is to be spoken of the dead but good If that be true which Quintilian saith adversus miseros I may better say adversus mortuos inhumanus est jocus that man is void of humanity who makes sport with the dead Mr Chillingworth was looked upon by me at the first sight as a conquered man and therefore I was not only civill but as he confessed charitable unto him and now he is dead I cannot deale with him as a Asinius Pollio did with Plancus set forth an Oration to which no answer is to be expected unlesse according to the desire of Saul or Dives a messenger should arise from the dead to give me an answer as full of terrour as satisfaction It is no glory to triumph over one that is conquered nay dead for that of the Poet is true Nullum cum victis certamen * aethere cassis But I consider that Mr Chillingworths party is alive though he be dead and though one of his Books is buried there are many hundred Copies divulged and therefore though I speak not of his humane frailties or personall infirmities and imperfections which died with him yet I may speak of his Hereticall Book and of some destructive policies he used which doe yet survive in their sad and lamentable effects Iudge what I say put the case a man commits notorious crimes

scandalously because publiquely and doth not only hold but vent damnable heresies and vent them not only in the Pulpit but in the Presse shall not his damnable heresies and printed heresies be confuted after his death shall thousands be seduced and perish and all Orthodox Divines silenced with that one Proverb Nothing is to be spoken of the dead but good Nay put the case further yet suppose a man hath had his head full of powder-plots and his heart full of bloody desires nay hath been a Ring-leader and Encourager of others to bloody practises against the very light of nature as well as Scripture must nothing be said of such a man when he is gone but good Mr Chillingworth and I met in Sussex by an unexpected providence I was driven from my owne house by force of Armes only as the Cavaliers confessed because I was nominated to be a Member of the Assembly and when I heard that my Living was bestowed upon a Doctor who if some Cambridge-men deceive me not became the stage farre better then he doth the Pulpit I resolved to exercise my Ministery in Sussex amongst my friends in a place where there hath been little of the power of Religion either known or practised About the latter end of November I travelled from London to Chichester according to my usuall custome to observe the monthly Fast and in my passage with a thankfull heart I shall ever acknowledge it I was guarded by a Convoy of 16 Souldiers who faced about 200 of the enemies forces and put them all to flight Upon the twelfth of December I visited a brave Souldier of my acquaintance Captain James Temple who did that day defend the Fort at Bramber against a bold daring enemy to the wonder of all the countrey and I did not marvell at it for he is a man that hath his head full of stratagems his heart full of piety and valour and his hand as full of successe as it is of dexterity My gratefull pen might wel run on in his commendation to the eternall shame of those who have been ungratefull to him to whom they doe under God owe their preservation But I intend not to defraud others of their deserved praise who were present at that fierce encounter There was present Colonell Harbert Morley a Gentleman of a nimble apprehension vigilant spirit but the Cavaliers were kept at such a distance that they never put the Colonels Regiment of horse to any trouble There was present likewise Captaine Henry Carleton the Antiprelaticall sonne of a learned Prelate a man of a bold presence and fixed resolution who loves his country better then his life Captain Simon Everden was there also a man of slow speech but sure performance who deserves that Motto of the old Romane Non tam facile loquor quam quod locutus sum praesto You cannot expect that I should name all the rest of the Commanders But there were you see some difficulties in my way which seemed insuperable and yet the Lord of Hosts did bring me thorow these difficulties safe from Bramber to Arundell upon the 21 day of December if I forget not Master Chillingworth was at that time in Arundell Castle which was surrendred to the much renowned Commander Sir William Waller Serjeant-Major-generall of all the associated Counties in the East and West upon the sixt of Ianuary As soone as the Castle was surrendred I represented Master Chillingworths condition to Sir William Waller who commended him to the care of his worthy Chaplaine and his Chaplaine shewed so much charity and respect towards him that he laid him upon his owne bed and supplied him with all necessaries which the place did afford When the rest of the Prisoners were sent up to London Master Chillingworth made it evident to me that he was not able to endure so long a journey and if he had been put to it he had certainly died by the way I desired therefore that his journey might bee shortned and upon my humble motion he was sent to Chichester where I intreated the Governour that he might be secured by some Officer of his acquaintance and not put into the hands of the Marshall the Governour gave order that Lievtenant Golledge should take charge of him and placed him in the Bishop of Chichesters Palace where he had very courteous usage and all accommodations which were requisite for a sicke man as appeares by the testimony of his owne man at Oxford and a Letter of thankfull acknowledgment from Master Chillingworths father to Lievtenant Golledge nay by Master Chillingworths Codicill which hee desired should be annexed to his Will in which he gave 10 livre. to Captaine King 10 li to Mistresse Mason who keepes the Bishops house and attended Master Chillingworth in his sicknesse and 10 li. to Lievtenant Golledge And it may further appeare by a Letter of Captain Kings sent to Oxford and the testimony of Master Edmonds his Apothecary both which are as followes Captain Kings Letter sent to Mr Walter Iones one of the Chaplains of Christ-Church in Oxford Ian. 23. Kind friend MAster Chillingworth was in so weake a condition by reason of a violent fluxe that I perswade my selfe hee could not have lived the first night of his journey had he gone farther for it was very tedious to him to be brought hither He lyes very ill and for ought I perceive in a desperate condition and how God may dispose of him we know not if any of his friends have a purpose to come into these parts they shall have free passage without any molestation Lievtenant Golledge performes the part of a reall friend in every kinde neither is Christobell wanting in her best care and diligence Lievtenant Golledge hath already disburst 10 livre. or thereabout It would not be amisse that some of Master Chillingworths friends were present with him whilest there is some hope of life for it will be a great satisfaction both to him and others There must be no delayes either of time or money I heare that Master Chillingworths Sister whom hee hath made Executrix is travelling with childe and therefore unfit for travell but he is very confident she will not let him want for necessary supplies whilest he lives and that hee may have decent buriall befitting one of his merit if it pleaseth God he chance to dye Among other of his friends I pray acquaint Doctor Shelden the Warden of All-soules with what is written whom Master Chillingworth doth very highly esteem Your very affectionate friend Robert King From Chichester Jan. 23. The testimony of Master Edmonds A Friend standing by him desired him to declare himselfe in point of Religion for two reasons first Because the Iesuites had much defamed and traduced him in that particular secondly Because he might be able to give an account to his friends in case he should survive He answered he had declared himselfe already in that point sufficiently to the world His friend told him that there went