Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	true_a	zeal_n	zealous_a	377	4	8.9121	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A01004	God and the king. Or a dialogue wherein is treated of allegiance due to our most gracious Lord, King Iames, within his dominions Which (by remouing all controuersies, and causes of dissentions and suspitions) bindeth subiects, by an inuiolable band of loue and duty, to their soueraigne. Translated out of Latin into English.; Deus et rex. English	Floyd, John, 1572-1649.; More, Thomas, 1565-1625, attributed name.	1620 (1620)	STC 11110.7; ESTC S107002	53,200	142

GOD AND THE KING OR A DIALOGVE Wherein is treated of Allegiance due to our most Gracious Lord King Iames within his Dominions WHICH by remouing all Controuersies and causes of Dissentions and Suspitions bindeth Subiects by an inuiolable band of Loue Duty to their Soueraigne Translated out of Latin into English Printed at Cullen M. DC XX. To the Reader THE former Dialogue set forth vnder thi● same Title GOD AND THE KING the persons of the same being Theodidactus and Philalethes the first signifiyng One taught of God the other A louer of Truth did ●eed explication in diuers poynts aswell in regard of the verity of the discourse as also for the more safty both of Kings and their Kingdomes VVherfore it was thought good that in this present Dialogue two other persons should treate of the same subiect Aristobulus that is A good Coūsellour and Philanax A Louer of Kinges of which the one wisheth all good vnto Kinges the other suggesteth what he iudgeth best for their State And so in few wordes gentle Reader thou hast the scope of both Dialogues Farewell GOD AND THE KING Philanax YOv are well met Aristobulus your countenance and gesture import that your thoughtes are much busied What may b● the occasion of these Meditations Aristobulus I haue lately perused a short Treatise intituled GOD AND THE KING the Author whereof vndertaketh to shew the groundes foundations of royall Soueraignty and of the Oath of Allegiance Philanax Why should the perusall of the Treatise cause such admiration in you I am sure you b●ing a Professour of the Ghospell are no● of their number that seeke to depresse Kingly power or thinke much that Kings should oblige their subiects to them by Oathes Aristobulus My professio● and my deedes declare sufficiently my dutifull affection to Kings my high esteeme of their authority my detestatiō of all treason hollownes and insincerity towardes them I approue the doctrine of this Dialogu● that vnder the pious and reuerend appellations of Father and Mother are comprized not only our naturall Parents but likewise all higher Powers and especially such as haue soueraigne authority as Kings Princes who more expresly then any Gouernours represent the person maiesty of one God ruling the whole world and are his substitutes lieutenants euery one within his owne Kingdome The subiect may not touch his soueraigne with any hurtfull touch nor stretch out his hand against his sacred person nor a●fright nor disgrace him by cutting the lapp ●f his garment not hurt him in word no not ●o much as in thought He must discharge his ●anifold duties towards him by payinge ●ribute for his regall supporte by fighting his ●attailes with Ioab aduenturing his life with Dauid to vanquish his enimies Reuealing with ●eligions Mardochaeus treasonable designe●ents against him by powring out pra●ers ●nd supplications for his wellfare by esteeming and ●onouring him from the harte and out of conscience as the annointed o● the Lord Gods holy Ordinance and Minister and as a God vpon earth These doctrines I allow and these duties towardes Princes whosoeuer infringeth either by tumults or seditions against his state or by treacherous and violent attempts against his person deserue as violators of Gods will contemners of natures ●aw and enemies to the good of their Countrey to be punished persecuted ●o death by sword and fire Philanax Seeing then that the Treatise you ●peake of doth so fully declare the duty of Allegiance to the Kinge what ●roubleth you therein that your coun●enance discouereth disl●ke Aristobulus To commend allegiance in generall termes simply and playnly conceaued is most alowable necessary in these times But bold or rather desperate Treatises such as this is that disclose the mysteries of Regall Prerogatiue which as his Maiesty well noteth ought not to be searched into that ground the authority of Kings so necessary for mankinde vpon doubtfull curios●ties that moue questions about depositions both disgracefull to Maiesty and odious to the subiects such Treatises I say doe more harme then good and without doubt the first Authors of such conceipts be secret enemies to Kingly gouernment and by this stratageme would craftily vndermine what hitherto in vayne they haue assaulted openly Philanax I am persuaded the Treatise you mention was not written by any Papist nor that any of that generation ●ad their hand in it Who then may we think be these vnderminers of Monarchy you speak of Aristobulus I would to God it were hard to name them or that euery one could not point with his finger at that professiō which from her cradle hath euer been a mortall enemie 〈◊〉 Kings That the first planters of the Ghospell in this age rooted the same in rebellion and in hatred to Monarchy neitheir wee nor any of their best frends can deny Our late Arch-bishop excuseth them that their zeale was very greate the light of the Ghospell sayth he then first appearing vnto them so dazeled their eyes that they did not well consider what they did Without doubt so it was and so it will euer be where the pure light as they call it of this Ghospell shineth and zeale therof feruently burneth there can be no assured allegiance to the Prince This I confesse is no small blemis● to the Religion which I would conceale did not loue to his Maiesty force me to speak And the reason why it must needes be so is euident A true spirit zealous in Religiō can neuer be quiet in the busines of s●luation and in questions and Controuersies of Faith ●●ll he find some ground infallible whereon he may rest The Papist holdes that the Popes sentence specially in generall Councels is the infallible decider of Controuersies vpon which he repo●●th his conscience And by submitting euery one his priuate iudgment to the sentence of a supreme Iudge they gayne peace and v●ity among themselues and their Iudge still when he defines being as they pretend assisted by Gods spirit they are secured from errour An easy and sweet way to end Controuersies had it pleased God to haue appointed it wherein verity and charity m●et Iustice doctrine I say iust with Gods word kisseth with peace and Christians might haue enioyed what S. Paul so highly commendeth charity of ●●uth But our Authors constantly affirme that since the Apostles God gr●unted no such priuiledge to any Pastor nor wold bestow so great blessing on his Church as to haue perpetually such a visible gouernour to decide her doubtes nimium vobis Romana propago visa potens superi propria haec si dona fuissent W●erfore by the consēt of the Churches which we call reformed the spirit of God deciding Controuersies which Papists tied to the Pope and his Councells was giuen to euery man that should attend to the spirit speaking in Scriptures A course which pleased much the common people in the beginning persuading them that they had been blinded and wronged by the Pope taking from them

that the light of Christianity may be vtterly extinguished rather then the Prince resisted Philanax Yow haue shewed that Theodidacts foure propositions are vngrounded odious and no sure foundations of sincere and dutifull allegiance But you promised also to speake of the Oath of Allegiance which Theodidact saith stands vpon these grounds and what your opinion is concerning of rigorous vrging thereof Aristobulus I cannot beleeue that the cheef inciters of his Maiesty to the violent exaction of this Oath do so much respect the common good as their priuate interest bei●g men that liue and triumph by the temporall miseries calamities of Papists When the desperate rage and temerity of some few of that profession had iustly exasperated his Maiesty these their enemies that lay in waite to do them a mischief suggested this deuise which I cannot be persuaded that his singular wisdom and iudgment would euer haue liked but in these circumstan●s of perturbation● I wil not rashly precipitate my censure in a matter of such consequence and wherein his excellent Maiesty is so much engaged only I will offer vnto your serious cogitation fiue considerations which often present themselues vnto me and make me much doubt how this rigorous course of vrging the Oath of Allegiance can stand with conscience or with true policy or with clemency or with his Maiesties honour or safety First how can we with safe con●cience vrge mē to swear what euē according to the principles of our Religion is vncertayne Not only they that sweare what they knowe to be false commit periury but such also as sweare wha● they know not to be certaine because in swearing a thinge that may be false they go in danger to make God witnesse of falshood A truth so cleere that it was knowne to a prophane Poet who setts it downe in verse that might beseeme a Christian Ambiguae si forte citabere testis Incertae que rei Phalaris licet imperet vt sis Falsus admoto dictet periuria Tauro Summūcrede nefas animā preferre pudori The doctrines sworne in the Oath cannot be more certaine then the principles whence they are drawne as the walls cannot be more firme then the foundation wheron they stand Now if you call to mind the pillars of the Oath laid by Theodidact you shall find they are at least doubtfull propositions which not only Papists but our Doctors are diuided about Yea for the most part both sides agree that they are false Let Protestants then thinke how with safe cōscience they sweare and v●ge others to sweare the things which being grounded vpon principles vncertaine cannot be certaine Philanax I haue heard that VVidderington and some other Papists thinke the taking of the Oath lawfull because they iudg the opinion That the Pope may not depose Kings probable and tollerable amonge Catholikes these men allso sweare vpon a probability Aristobulus VVidderington his adherēts seeme to be Theodidacts Cosen-germans with him secretly vndermine the Oath of Allegiance wherof they would be thought great frends For either they cōmit periury in swering or els elude the drift of the Oath Yf they sweare the thing it selfe that the Pope wants that power they that haue but a probable persu●sion therof be forsworne seeing they sweare what they doe not know certainly to be true Yf they say that they sweare not the thing it selfe but only that they haue an acknowledgment beleef therof that this is true seing they feele a pr●pable assēt to the points of the Oath this answere cleereth thē from pe●iury but together takes frō the Oath force to bind them For if a man that only probably beleeues that the Pope cānot depose King● may take the Oath without being forsworne then the Oath in the swearer requires only a probable persuasion of that point if only probable then changeable vpon better aduise for liberty to change is necessarily implied in a probable assent seeing no law can exact that our speculatiue persuasion be more certaine and immoueable thē reasō argumēt is able to make it He that taks the Oath as a point of faith if he sweare truly cā neuer alter his iudgmēt therin without being forsworn because vnlawfulnes to change being inuolued in the assent of faith he that sweares beleef for the present sweares consequently he will neuer afterward chāg But he that swears I acknowledg beleue the Pope cannot depose the Kinge meaning no more then I probably beleeue though he sweare truly ye● he may within three dayes or sooner change his mind without periury for neyther did he sweare expresly that he would neuer change nor did the nature of the assent he professed implicitely bind him neuer to change And if this proposition the Pope hath no power to depose the King which is the foundation of all the other partes in the Oath be sworne as probable vpon better aduise changeable who seeth not that the whole frame of Allegiance that is built thereon is left to the arbitrement of the swearer and that by VViddringtons doctrine the drift of the Oath to make his Maiesty secure is ouerthrowne I add hereunto that if the Oath be satisfied with a probable persuasion that the Pope cannot depose the King then the Oath leaues liberty to the Papist that sweares to follow with safe conscience the contrary in practise seeing they may by comon consent of their Deuines follow what probable opinion they please yea they may without synne follow that opinion which they themselues thinke lesse probable Which is to be vnderstood when the Authors that allow the speculation of a doctrine doe not themselues condemne the practise therof as somtimes they do because the doubtfullnes of the speculation makes the practise cleerly against Charity or Religion or Iustice as in the instances that VViddrington brings in his last reply But no instance can he giue when both speculation and the practise is allowed as probable by graue authors that then Papists may not follow the same with a safe conscience And such is the doctrine that the Pope may depose Kings their schooles that allow the speculation condemne not the practise Yf then VVidrington taking the oath of Allegiance may without breach of his Oath thinke the contrary doctrine that the Pope may depose Kings probable he may with the Oathes good leaue by the principles of his Religion also follow that doctrine in practise so that swearers vpon probabilities b● cunninger but no better subiects then other Catholiks that refuse the Oath I conclude that either we tender the new Oath to no purpose or els we vrge men further then in conscience they can sweare Yf we require but a weak and probable assent what assurance doth his Maiesty gaine when the swearer may change his opinion at his pleasure or retayning his opinion fo●low the contrary in practise Yf we require firme and immutable assent how can that assent be sure the principles meanes thereof being doubtfull ●ow cā

we with good conscience force men to sweare that doctrine to be certaine which we know depends vpon points disputable in our Church The secōd thing I present vnto you to be considered concerneth the politick drift intent of the Oath which is to discouer faithfull subiects from those that are disloyally minded may we not in true policy feare the Oath works the con●rary effect For may not loyall subiects refuse it vpon persuasion that some poynt of Religion is therein indirectly denyed May not they that beare trayterous hartes take it notwithstanding their intended treasons not fearing to commit periury in Gods sight Philanax You put me in mind of another doctrine of Theodidact which seemeth to me strange that men though most ●rayterous in taking an Oath will not dissemble God saith he by his imediate ●inger doth so straitly oblige with secret terrour ●he most inmost conscience that men obdurate ●o other greeuous synns will be tender and sen●●ble of the violation of an Oath Hence he ●eemeth to inferre that euē the gunne-●owder traytors would not haue takē●●e Oath but rather haue missed of ●●eir designe and that all who refuse 〈◊〉 are of the same mind and stampe ●●at they were Aristobulus This diuinity of ●heodidact which seemes the ground of vrging the Oath is against the rules of true policy and wisdome First it layeth the burthen of infamons disloyalty on tender consciences giuing away the praise of fidelity to m●n that may be void of Religion and dissembling swearers Secondly it goeth about to blinde his Maiesties eyes and lull his Counsell a sleepe towards subtill and dangerous traytors that goe on the ground of that reacherons Thebean Children are to be deceaued with apples but men with ●athes Thirdly he goeth against the consent of all well-ord●ed Common-wealthes which in triall of life and death vse not to put men to purge thēselues by Oathe fearing they wil● sweare vntruly to saue their liues which feare were needles did they beleeue that God in taking of an Oath did so perpetually constrayne the inmost conscience of obdurate sinners t● be tender in that poynt S. Augustine i● deed saith that some vnchast women whi●● haue not feared to deceaue their husbands by wantonnes haue been afraide to vse God vnto them as a witnesse of their chastity but these were women perchaunce very few and if in those times so tender a conscience was incident to all or most vnchast wiues I dare say ●hey were more Godly and timorcus ●hen the adulteresses of these dayes amongst whom perchaunce very few may be found that will loose their liues rather then delude their husbands with an Oath Howsoeuer carnall synne the motiue whereof is fleeting pleasure doth not so root out conscience and obdurate the hart as treasons and conspiracies against Kinge Country which whosoeuer harbour●th in his hart it is a miracle if he be tender in violating of an Oath And what Theodidact ●eigneth to make the refusers of the Oath odious that those phanaticall plotters would rather haue lost their liues then haue dissembled in an Oath their best frends will hardly beleeue they were worthy of so great prayse Wherfore men that are more timorous of a false Oath then of the losse of their life should least of all be suspected to haue consciences capable of so vast treason as is the blowing vp Parlaments with powder Anacharsis compared the Athenian lawes to the spiders web wherein flyes are caught but greater beasts without difficulty break through them so the Oath of Allegiance catcheth some scrupulous women and t●●orous Papists but great Traitors that cā without scruple plot and contriue bloody massacres murthers of Princes these will easily blow away so trifling a synne I speak comparatiuely as is equiuocation in an Oath Yf amongest Papists there be any as charity would haue vs iudg there be none that nourish such bloudy entendments I make no doubt they be of that company that take the Oath Yf amongst Puritans there be any so traiterously disposed I dare acquit them that for conscience feare of offēding God refuse the Oath vndergoe the penalties thereof as I vnderstand some doe Those Puritās may be rather suspected that be deluder● of piously inclined people that think● they may lawfully lye for the glory of the Ghospell that haue drawne auersion to his Maiesty from the very springe of his being from the wombe wherein most barbarously they went about to bury him before he was borne As for Papists they beare him affectiō grounded in the stock deriued frō mother to the sonne these I say refusing to sweare out of meere cōscie●●e may according to the rules of prudency and policy most of all be trusted and deserue that the beames of his royall Clemency shine vpon them Philanax They that refuse the Oath I see not why therfore they shold be numbred amongst loyall subiects yea rather fearing periury they seeme to dissouer disl●yall affection lurking in their harts Aristobulus Such as refuse to take the Oath in the prescribed forme of wordes at the same time offer to swear that they wil be loyall to his Maiesty in all occasions against domesticall treasons or forraine inuasions either they meāt sincerly or not if not first where is Theodidacts diuinity that God so bindeth the inmost cōs●ience that obdurate synners will not dissemble in oathes Secondly why would you trust them if they should sweare the oath you prescribe if they will dissemble in the Oath they offer to take themselues much more they wil and may dissēble in the Oath you force vpon them vnder grieuous penalties if they meane sincerely then his Maiesty may be secure What greater Loyalty can you desire they will neuer yeeld to any treason nor second or conceale any forrayne inuasion whatsoeuer How can that stand with the principles of their doctrine that the Pope may depose the King Why should ●e be solicitous how they may do it with safe conscience It is inough that we haue their sworne loue and affection to do it Leaue that care to them when occasions fal out particular circumstances will a●foard probable reasons to do the duty of subiects without blemish to their Religion Loue is ingenious to find out reasons for excuse of the person we loue so we be assured of their loue to Prince and Country we need no more But we be not sure thereof How be we not sure whē we see those men that offer to sweare it ready to dy rather then sweare an vntruth hauing the greatest assurance they meane sincerely that morality can a●foard is it not pitty that har●s so du●ifull to their Prince should be pluckt out of their brests as trayterous because they be so awfull to God that they wil be rather torne in peeces then sweare an vncertanity Wherfore in my opinion sworne duty of Papists were to be highly prized yea most of all the allegiance of them that be readier to dy then to take