Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	law_n	liberty_n	parliament_n	4,902	5	6.1958	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26019	Reasons against agreement with a late printed paper, intituled, Foundations of freedome, or, The agreement of the people vvhereby it doth appear, that the particulars proposed in the said paper are not foundations of freedome, but of tyrannie and slaverie to the people, being destructive to religion, laws, liberty, and government, against our Covenant and protestations, and very dangerous and unsafe for the kingdom / by William Ashhurst ...	Ashhurst, William, 1617-1680.	1648 (1648)	Wing A3977; ESTC R16829	11,283	16

as to an Impropriator or other man in the Kingdom for any thing he injoies But the Paper saith it is a grievance and oppression I beleeve it is a grievance to those men that Ministers live or have any thing But how comes it to be an oppression Is it oppression to pay to others what is legally due to them These men may consider that if Tythes be taken from the Ministers or Impropriators yet there is neither right nor Justice that they by whom they are payable should have them to their own use for they have nothing that might make or derive a right or title to them They never payed any consideration for them they did not purchase nor were they conveighed to them when their Land was bought it was under this charge that Tythes should be paied out of it In a word there may as much be said in justice reason or equity why they should not pay any quit Rents Rent Charges Annuities or other charges that lies upon their land as why they should not pay Tythes And doe but give them Tythes upon their crying out that it is a grievance and oppression and they will in a short time I am confident upon the same grounds cry out upon all other payments and charges out of their Land and it is like the Rent to the Landlord will not be paied long after for they will be all alike a grievance and oppression I do observe that there are two notable peeces of justice in the consequence of this particular of theirs First That the Impropriator shall be satisfied yet I know not how where or by whom before his Tythes be taken away Yet the poor Minister that holds his by as good a Law and right shall have his first taken from him and play an after-game for his maintenance which might gain their point when by that means they might be driven from their Churches to go abroad to beg because they cannot work And the other is That they would have this new Representative to take Tythes from the Ministers to whom they belong in justice and right and to give them unto other people who have no right at all to them And when they have got the Ministers Tythes then they propose that they may have maintenance Provided alwaies that it being against their Consciences they may pay them nothing Nor others pay any thing all payments being oppressive and they are to have nothing but in an unoppressive way By all which it appears that they intend to take away the Ministers and get their means to themselves for their pains I do not in this plead my own case for I do and shall willingly pay Tythes but I receive none I have thus lookt into these Foundations of Freedome and told you in part what I have seen wherein I must leave every Reader to his own judgement I shall only upon the whole matter give you mine That under the colour of laying new foundations all the old Foundations of Religion Parliaments Laws Liberties and Propertie are strongly endeavoured to be undermined pluckt up and destroied And all the materials I finde brought to this new new building are such in my judgement as only tend to Licentiousnesse therefore it shall be against my will it I live in it or neer it because it hath no ground work For here is a Government without Authority A Magistrate without power If a Minister yet without maintenance A People left to be of any Religion or of all Religions or of no Religion as they please It is therefore in my judgement altogether unsutable to any who desire to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Yet not withstanding I would not be so angry with those that should offer it as to resolve presently to fall out with them I would remember that it hath still been our enemies work to divide us England from Scotland and one from another Let it still be our work to unite and not be so wicked and unwise as to ruine a righteous cause and our selves with it But let us lay aside this Paper and all dividing and party Projects and make it our study how to satisfie and secure one another that we may live in love and peace Which as it hath ever been my hearty desire so it shall ever be my faithfull endeavour and most earnest praier to that God who out of all these shakings is only able to bring a good settlement to this poor distracted Kingdome FINIS

REASONS AGAINST AGREEMENT with a late Printed Paper intituled Foundations of Freedome OR The Agreement of the PEOPLE VVhereby it doth appear that the Particulars proposed in the said Paper are not Foundations of Freedome but of Tyrannie and Slaverie to the People being destructive to Religion Laws Liberty and Government against our Covenant and Protestations and very dangerous and unsafe for the Kingdom By WILLIAM ASHHURST Esquire LONDON Printed for Tho Underhill 1648. To the READER I Have no more to say to the Reader but That when I had considered the Printed Paper intitled Foundations of Freedome Or an Agreement of the People I was very much unsatisfied with it and so were others I met with And finding that the differences upon it would fall out amongst those who are obliged to friendship and agreement both for the good of the Kingdom and their own good I thought it unchristian and unsafe to let so great dis-satisfactions lye privately heating together untill they might kindle into an hotter flame of discontent especially it having ever been as it is still my opinion which I have not hid that differences in this case should be ended by Reason not by Opposition And seeing the Publisher of the Paper calls upon every man for his Reasons against it I have here brought him mine under my hand wherein although I am sensible that I may discover my own weaknesse and folly yet I ever hating all private Contrivances or to do any thing of publick Concernment in a Corner have judged it more honest and that shall ever go for wisdom with me to use plain dealing which if it be according to the Proverb a jewell I am sure was never more precious then at this time W. A. REASONS AGAINST Agreement with a late Printed Paper Intituled An Agreement of the People THe Publisher of this Paper called An Agreement of the People tells us that it was tendered to the Consideration of the Generall and Counsell of the Army but before it was approved by them which I hope it never will he held it just to be published that men might offer their Reasons against it wherein he is so ingenious that however both the Epistle and Paper might give occasion to some personall Reflections yet I will onely give him fairly my Reasons why I cannot agree to this Paper having for the more clear proceeding first layed down the most principall parts of this Agreement which as I take it is briefly That the People who shall subscribe this Paper shall agree To take away this Parliament And to choose an equall Representative consisting of 300. men who shall have full power without the Consent or Concurrence of any other person or persons either King or House of Peers to make Repeal Alter and Declare Laws and that none do resist their Laws or Orders upon pain of death except such Representatives expresly violate this Agreement and they shall have power to choose a Councell of State for the managing of publick affairs But that they shall not have power to continue in force or make any Laws Oaths and Covenants whereby to compell by penalties or otherwise any person to any thing in or about matters of Faiths Religion or Gods worship or to restrain any person from the professing his Faiths or exercise of Religion according to his Conscience in any house or place except such as are or shall be set apart for the publick worship neverthelesse the Instruction or directing of the Nation in a publick way for the matters of faith worship or discipline so it be not compulsive or expresse Popery is referred to their discretion with like restriction in other matters of lesse consequence I am very much unsatisfied with this Paper both for the manner and matter of it for these Reasons Reason 1 First Because it proposeth that the People or rather some small part of them without any colour of Law or right should agree together to alter the present Government and to take away a legall right from Burroughs to choose Members to the Parliament which admitted they may with as much Justice and Right agree to take away any Law or any mans life or estate by which Rule we should injoy nothing but at the will or any number of men that would call themselves The People And upon the same ground that those who shall subscribe this Agreement may call themselves the People might those who shall refuse to subscribe it and those who are not admitted to subscribe it both call themselves the People And at any time hereafter pretend like right to do the same or like things which must lay a foundation of certain Confusions Neither can there be assurance of any settlement whatsoever in this way for what those who call themselves the People agree upon now they may alter within a moneth or sooner if they please Reason 2 Because if there were a right by this way to alter the Government as there is not yet it is not reasonable to attempt so great a matter the Consequences whereof must be of so vast concernment to the Kingdome before the inconveniencies of the present Government have been plainly discovered and solemnly debated And being found out tryall had been made whether by the present unquestionable power there might not have been found a remedy either by some Additions or smaller Alterations without putting things to so great an hazard as an attempt to make a totall Alteration in the Supreame Power must bring and that without offering any Reason for it Neither is there onely these generall Reasons against the whole Paper but if the subject matter of it and the proceedings intended thereupon were lawfull yet there are many Reasons against the particulars in it which I shall proceed with Reason 3 Because it doth propose to take away not onely this King but all Kings and the House of Peers one of the Supreame Judicatorie of this Kingdom and that for ever without shewing any necessitie of it which the Papists Delinquents and ill-affected persons amongst us well perceiving how great a distraction it would bring did frequently charge upon this Parliament as their designe whereupon to vindicate themselves from such aspersions they have made and published severall Declarations that they would not alter the Government of the Kingdome by King Lords and Commons And this Kingdome having had so many hundred yeers experience of this present Government in the most part of which time they having lived in peace and plenty And when any warres have heretofore happened between the King and the people no such alterations being ever desired or attempted It is not imaginable that they will now desire to change it for they know not what for so are all alterations of Government untill the conveniencies or inconveniencies be found out by experience All I will further adde upon this Reason is that this poore wasted Kingdome doth not stand in need of so great a division and distraction in the course of all