Selected quad for the lemma: act_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
act_n	law_n	parliament_n	prerogative_n	2,334	5	9.9399	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67395	A letter from New-England concerning their customs, manners, and religion written upon occasion of a report about a quo warranto brought against that government.	J. W.	1682 (1682)	Wing W59; ESTC R7104	6,305	12

A LETTER FROM NEW-ENGLAND Concerning their CUSTOMS MANNERS AND RELIGION Written upon occasion of a Report about a Quo Warranto Brought against that GOVERNMENT LONDON Printed for Randolph Taylor near Stationers Hall 1682. A LETTER FROM New England c. SIR I Received yours and since that we are informed that a Quo Warranto is framing against the Government of this place whether true or false I desire you to send word I doubt not but in the mean time several of your Dissenters will think it a little hard that their Brethren should be perfecuted afar off as they cry out they are at home but if they knew or upon knowledge considered what a sort of People the Inhabitants of this Colony are I believe the very worst of your Enthusiasts and Hypocrites would not claim any Kindred with them I think it great reason that the King should make Inquiry into their Authority when they live altogether as if they denied his and impose Arbitrary Laws on all Trafiques hither without respect to their Fellow Subjects and most certainly the King has good grounds to suspect their Obedience to him when they live in such a continual course of Debauchery that by their Actions one would think they were Atheists and as exempt from the Superintendency of God as they fancy themselves unaccountable to any Power by being a Constitution within themselves As to their Religion I cannot perfectly distinguish it by name it being a Hodgpodg of all Heresies and Errors mix'd together he onely Cement being Hypocrisie and Dissimulation and nothing keeps 'em Friends but onely the fear of exposing one anothers Knavery An Elder is a Mungrel begot by a Jack Presbyter upon the body of an Independent Sister As for the Rabble their onely Religion lies in ch●ating all they deal with and now and then to be cheated themselves by their Pastors for Conscience sake In a word both Teacher and Flock are like Watermen that look one way and row another their Eyes are always fixed upon Heaven while they tread the paths to Hell and have continually God in their mouths but the Devil in their hearts and actions Notwithstanding all their noise and clamour against Persecution and the reasonableness for a Toleration in Tender Consciences you may expect more mercy from a Turk in his revenge or fairer dealing from a Jew in his trade I have seen them whip several of the Anabaptist Principle in one day at the Gun the usual Whipping place here onely for serving God according to their way as if they would allow no body else to be in the wrong but themselves The Quakers are here a very suffering Generation and hardly one of the Yea and Nay Persuasion but has been abused severely and three of the most obstinate were tied up nothing but their Religion being laid to their charge I would fain know what a bawling about Persecution free exercise for the Godly and Liberty and Property would have been in England with you if such things were acted amongst you as are here daily But the most unparallell'd Instance of all is that though they profess themselves Protestants their hatred is most generally against those few persons that are according to the Church of England and if any man has the courage to own himself of that Communion they 'll slily threaten him and study to trepan him into some breach of their Laws and so make him either fine or perhaps inflict a bodily punishment They exact three pounds a year of such persons for not frequenting their Conventicles and if they come to inhabit with their Families unless the Man or his Wife be a Member of their Church they very charitably deny Baptism to their Children looking upon all but their own dear Cubs as the Seed of Pagans and Infidels I wonder by what Authority they thus Lord it over their Fellow Subjects it being directly contrary to the Kings intent and the Charter of the place all Persuasions being allowed by Royal Leave it being look'd upon as a Situation designed for Trade not the propagation of their particular Religion They have all their Government within themselves in a particular manner they choose their own Officers and have a Court which consists of Eighteen Magistrates which they call a Court of Justice These sit as Judges in all matters that tend to the Execution of the Laws which are always made by a Court of a General Assembly which consists not onely of the Court of Justice but of a Deputy chose out of each respective Town belonging to the Masatheusets Colony By this General Assembly all Taxes are laid on the People Laws enacted c. Amongst the rest they have a Law which lays an Imposition on all Goods whatsoever here imported from England which in my opinion is quite contrary to the Laws of England an Act of Parliament being expresly to the contrary and certainly they usurp that power whereby they claim any thing from English Goods that have paid His Majesty's Customs at English Ports and how they came invested with this Prerogative I believe they will be put to it to give an account I know several have been forced to pay one Peny the Pound and no redress could be had they being both Judges and Exactors into the bargain They have several good and wholsom Laws as in other places as against Adultery Fornication Cheating Drunkenness and Buggery but considering their Actions all their Laws look but like Scarecrows or for fashions sake In their practice they outgo the most notorious of Offenders Messalina was chaste in comparison of their lewd and repeated Fornications and Adulteries For Lying and Cheating they outvie Judas and all the false Merchants in Hell and the worst of Drunkards may here find Pot-companions enough for all their pretences to Sobriety In a word no Sect of Men upon the face of the earth are so unmannerly in their outward disclaiming against Vices in particular and more punctual in the practice of all in general The Chastity of the People may be guessed at by the number of Delinquents in that kind there hardly passes a Court Day but four or five are convened for Fornication or Adultery and Convictions in this nature are very frequent after which the fair Convict is sometimes turned over to a Lay Elder for chastisement for her former sin and the commission of a new one Now most certainly if Justice finds out so many Transgressours in this kind how many must the private ones amount to I may without being uncharitable think they include a great part of the Town for private sins as these are seldom fall under publick censure or at least not so often as more open ones Mr. A s Wife has been most notorious and disgrac'd the whole Herd by putting the Horns on her Husband and their Head-leader the old Pastor who poor man though he has the Gift of Sanctifying in the Spirit fails much in Satisfying the Flesh which gives occasion to his sweet