Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	kingdom_n	law_n	parliament_n	3,975	5	6.2994	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66484	An address to those of the Roman communion in England occasioned by the late act of Parliament, for the further preventing the growth of popery.	Willis, Richard, 1664-1734.	1700 (1700)	Wing W2815; ESTC R7811	45,628	170

convinced that if Popery should prevail in England we should not long enjoy our Estates or perhaps Lives if we would not comply with it and we are sensible that more than once we have been in great danger of this efpecially lately when it was almost a Miracle that we were saved from it We are sensible also that they are a restless uneasie Party that they have mighty dependencies abroad which have much prevailed of late that we can't tell what Foreign Power may be invited over or in succeeding times what incouragement they may have at home and therefore we do conceive that meerly in our own defence we may justly take as effectual measures as we can to keep their Priests from among them who we are satisfied have been and are like to be Incendiaries and to divert their Estates into better Hands of their own Relations that they may not be turned against us To conclude this matter notwithstanding these Reasons we have to guard our selves against Popery yet there are here no Cruelties of an Inquisition no Burning no taking away of Life no Dragooning nay the greatest part the Traders and those of the poorer sort are scarce touched in this Act and as for others on whom it is hardest those of Estates yet there is nothing done of a sudden and irremediable there 's Time allowed for Consideration and Place left for Repentance and better Thoughts and in the mean time their Persons are secure and they are at Liberty to go into any other Country with all the Money and Goods they can get without danger of being sent to the Gallies if they are caught which are Privileges a great many poor Creatures we have lately heard of would take to be very great Mercies Reasons to persuade those of the Church of Rome to examine the grounds of their Religion As far as a private Man may venture to give his Opinion of the Actions of his Superiors these I suppose joyned with some peculiar Insolencies at this time very well known in the Kingdom were the chief Reasons the King and Parliament went upon in making this and former Laws against you and if our Religion be true and yours false I believe you your selves will hardly condemn us for it And this is the next thing I would desire you to consider of that you would not take it for granted that you are in the right and so call this Persecution for Conscience sake but that you would take this Opportunity to examin the grounds of your Religion which will be an advantage to you which way so ever the matter end If upon Examination you find your selves to have been in the wrong you will then have the Benefit and Comfort of being converted from very dangerous Errors and Practices and of living quietly and preserving your Estates to your Families but if otherwise you find reason for your present Opinions it will be a mighty comfort to you in whatever you suffer that you do it upon evidence and conviction of Conscience and not upon Fancy and Prejudice from your Education And so much I think in Justice you owe to your Children not to Breed them up in a Religion which must deprive them of their Estates till you have well examined the Truth of it your selves It will indeed be the greatest Blessing to them to Breed them up in the true Religion let the consequences as to this World be what they will but at least Matters ought to be well weighed before you do what will be on all accounts so great an Injury to them if your Religion should prove false which perhaps I may give you just reason to suspect before I conclude this Paper if you will but read it without prejudice and partiality Only one thing I would desire you to have a care of that you be not too nicely sensible of the dishonour of changing your Opinion now it may seem to be for your Interest This I know is a Consideration apt to work very strong and to give a greater Biass to the Minds of some Persons than the greatest Interest in the World But a good Christian should be contented with the Apostle to go through evil report and good report and should despise the Censure of the World so he can but please God and save his Soul And this suggests another Consideration that not only your Interest in this World but your Souls are very much concerned in this Examination Your Church is accused by Protestants as guilty of a great number of dangerous Errors and of very sinful Practices of Superstition and Idolatry of being the Authors and consequently having the guilt of a great Schism in the Church and it concerns you to consider whether this Charge be true or no Whatever Charity Protestants may have for those among you who have no means of being better Informed they have just reason to look upon such Errors and sinful Practices as like to be fatal to those among you who might be better informed and will not But there is another Consideration which perhaps may weigh more with you in this Matter than the Opinion of Protestants which is That if this Charge against you be true if you are guilty of Schism and Idolatry and such gross Errors by the Opinion of your own Divines you cannot be Saved This is a Matter that they themselves often urge against that Charity which Protestants are apt to have for sincere honest People among you that are invincibly Ignorant besides the very same Reasons which they urge to shew the danger that we are in do equally hold against you supposing that you are in the wrong If it be Heresy in us to deny the Articles of your new Creed supposing they are true it must be Heresy in you to believe them supposing they are false the Reason is the same in both and so as to the Schism if your pretended Head of the Church be guilty of Tyranny and Usurpation and Heresy and Idolatry and of imposing these upon Christians it is He and his Followers are in the Schism and not We. And then all those dreadful things which your own Writers say against Schism and Heresy do as much belong to you supposing you are in the wrong as they do to us if we are so And therefore if what they say have any weight with you it ought to make you consider seriously whether you are in the right or no. I the rather urge this because it contains a full Answer to that piece of Sophistry wherewith you often deceive your selves and endeavour to delude us That you are safe by the confession of all Sides but we are not and that therefore we ought in prudence to come over unto you Which is false for by your own Opinion you are not safe but in a Damnable Condition supposing that you are in the wrong There is no difference at all betwixt us and you in this Matter except only where the Truth lies For if our charitable