Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	king_n	parliament_n	repeal_v	4,000	5	12.1621	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A60930	A candle lighted at a coal from the altar whereby the King and rulers of this nation with the people of this present age may see the stone on which many have stumbled, and the rock which hath broken to pieces unfaithful men once in authority, who instead of protecting, did persecute the people of God, when they had the high places of the earth in possession, and that these present rulers may take warning betimes, least they stumble at the same rock, and while they have opportunity they may rather become as nursing-fathers to the flock of God within these dominions, by giving due encouragement to tender consciences, and men fearing God as in matters of religion / and this is directed unto you by a subject of the King of Righteousness, Tho. Salthouse.	Salthouse, Thomas, 1630-1691.	1660 (1660)	Wing S471; ESTC R13989	18,411	26

to be used in or about the Worship of God Likewise several Clauses and Articles of Ordinances and Acts of Parliament repealed which did impose Penalties upon people for not coming to Parish Churches for not keeping Holy Daies and for not hearing the Common Prayer with Penalties enjoyned to be imposed upon such as should use or read the Common Prayer in any Church or Chappel or private Family as may appear by several Ordinances and Acts of Parliament about that Year 44 and many Carnal invented Ordinances of the Church of Rome as sprinkling infants at the Funt finging before the dead bowing to the high Altar rails about the Communion Tables and abundance of such like things relating to the Worship and Service of God which was known to be but meer scraps and Rags of Popery were denied as beggarly Elements and rudiments of the world and no Ordinances of Jesus Christ to be practised among the Protestants Now these were good beginnings in order towards a Reformation in spiritual things and in relation to Church Worship but alas we have seen many good appearances and such fair promises come to little or nothing that we are jealous with a Godly Jealousie lest the old Serpent should deceive these Rulers and draw them back into bondage again in things of this Nature as he hath done them that formerly had the ordering and disposing of the great Affairs of this Kingdom who promised a Reformation both in Church and State and yet after these old corrupted Popish Ceremonies and Laws relating to spiritual Cognizance so called was abolished by the King Parliament Protector and his Councel they soon fell from those good beginnings and sought to set up themselves and their own Interests and then Religion was little regarded but as a Cloak for them to carry their own designs under and when they were setled in the high places then Magistrates and the Priests of the high Places consulted and took Councel together against the Lord and against his Annointed and instead of the old superstitious Laws and Ordinances they began to make new Laws to limit the Spirit to their Directions and Prescriptions and Observations by which the Servants and Handmaids of the Lord whose Consciences were tender and could not deny one Form to take up another instead thereof was haled before their Judgment Seats and somtimes whipped persecuted fined and imprisoned for reproving sin in the Gates for not swearing for meeting together in the fear of the Lord such like things until the Lord pleaded with the Rulers and visited for those things and made that Rock against which they strove and could not prevail a stone of stumbling and a Rock of offence on which they are fallen and broken to pieces Likewise King Charles the first and his Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament took away the High Commission Court when they saw the many harms and inconveniences that were in it and that it was a great snare and a bondage to tender Consciences and abolished several Acts and Ordinances that did bind people in an uniformity thereunto as may at large appear by an Act of the Parliament begun and held at Westminster the third of the ninth month called November in the year 1649. In which Act it is expressed that no Arch Bishop Bishop nor Vicar-general nor no Spiritual or Ecclesiastical Judg exercising Spiritual or Ecclesiastical Power or Authority shall by any grant license or Commission of the Kings Majesty his Heirs or Successors from and after the first of August 1●41 inflict any pain penalty or fine amercement imprisonment or other Corporal punishment upon any of the Kings Subjects for any matter or thing whatsoever belonging to Spiritual Cognizance or Jurisdiction and that they shall not administer any Corporal Oath whereby any may be forced to confess or accuse themselves in any offence whereby they are liable or exposed to any censure pain penalty or punishment on a spiritual account upon pain that every person who shall offend contrary to the Act above mentioned shall forfeit and pay treble dammage to every person thereby grieved and the sum of 100 pound to him or them who shall first demand or sue for the same Now this was a Legal Authority and this Act remains in as full force and vertue as if there had been no interruption of that power or as if it had been made by the King and Parliament now in being and therefore it may be expected that the Kings Subjects shall not suffer any penalty for not swearing or upon any spiritual account whatsoever for the King hath discharged all Judges and Ministers of Justice in the name of himself his Heirs and Successors not to impose any Oath pain penalty or punishment upon any person or persons male or female as upon a spiritual account and if the Kings Successors shall put this Law in execution it will be some ease to tender Consciences and will give the good people of these Nations hopes that a Reformation may yet be wrought and compleated in this Nation after all these strange alterations and overturnings though it is contrary to the expectation of many from any thing that appears visible Consider in time what the Lord God requires at your hands who are now intrusted with the Government and bring not upon the Nation the old Antichristian yoak of bondage which neither we nor our Fathers were able to bear let Christ Jesus the Everlasting high Priest who is the souls Bishop have the whole power in the Church as the head of it and let him order all things therein according to his Heavenly Wisdom and wonderful Councel both as to the Calling Ordination and sending forth Ministers to preach the Everlasting Gospel and Pastors according to his own heart and mind that the people may be fed with knowledg and understanding and let these Ministers sent forth by Christ who have the mind of Christ and do abide in his Doctrine have free Liberty without persecution to preach the Gospel in all the Provinces of these Dominions and suffer no Judg nor Minister of Justice to inflict any Penalty or Corporal punishment upon them on this spiritual account nor to cast them into prison for the Testimony which they hold and which is agreeable to the Testimony of Jesus the Word of God and Scripture of Truth for it is both against the Law of God also against the good Laws of this Nation that any man should suffer punishment persecution or imprisonment on any Religious or Spiritual account whatsoever Therefore let the world know even your adversaries themselves that you are of the Christian Religion by giving due encouragement to tender Consciences and to Christs Ministers to preach the Word in season and out of season without molestation or interruption by any colour or pretence of Authority derived from that higher Power For he who ascended up on high who led Captivity captive hath given gifts unto men for the work of that Ministry that there