Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	act_n	king_n	power_n	5,492	5	5.0298	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B05799	A Serious and faithfull representation of the judgements of ministers of the gospell within the province of London. Contained in a letter from them to the generall and his counsel of warre./ Delivered to his excellency by some of the subscribers, Jan. 18. 1649.	Gataker, Thomas, 1574-1654.	1649 (1649)	Wing S2604BA; ESTC R188958	10,899	12

which tends to the manifest Subversion of them all Wee have not forgotten those declared Grounds and Principles upon which the Parliament first took up Armes and upon which Wee were induced to join with them from which Wee have not hitherto declined and We trust through Gods grace never shall We remember That when the King with a multitude of Armed men demanded but a small number in comparison of those now secluded by you of the Members of Parliament It was deemed such an horrid Violation of their Priviledges and an act so injurious and Destructive to the good of the Kingdome as had not then any Precedent or Parallel And of what nature it was judged to be by a Parliament then free and full may appear by the Order of the House of Commons of January 3. 1641. When hearing but of a purpose in the King to Seise upon some of their Members they declared If any Person whatsoever shall offer to Arrest or Detain the Person of any Member of this House without first acquainting this House therewith and receiving further Order from this House That it is lawfull for such Member or any Person to assist him and to stand upon his or their Guard of Defence and to make resistance according to the Protestation taken to Defend the Priviledges of Parliament and by the Declaration of JANUARY 17 1641. That the arresting of any Member of Parliament by any Warrant whatsoever without a Legall proceeding against them and without consent of that House whereof such person is a Member is against the Liberty of the Subject and a Breach of Priviledge of Parliament And the person which shall arrest any of these persons or any other Member of the Parliament is Declared a publick Enemie of the Common-wealth And this Violation of their Priviledges was that which did occasion first a Guard and was afterward one Reason of raising an Army But that an Army thus raised by their Authoritie and for their preservation should now so far exceed that Act which was then esteemed without paralel could hardly have been imagined by us had not our eyes been Witnesses of it And although both Houses of Parliament who are joyntly together with the King intrusted with the Supreme Authority of the Kingdome saw cause to take up Armes for their own Defence against the Attempts made upon them by the King and his Evill Councellers and for the preservation of the Protestant Religion established which was then indangered by the growth of severall Errors and Innovations and for the securing of the Fundamentall Lawes and Constitutions of the Kingdome which they apprehended then to be underminded by severall Illegall incroachments Yet this cannot be pleaded as any Justification or Precedent for you who in reference to the power of Magistracie are but private persons to usurpe an Authority over King and Parliament and to intermedle with affaires which belong not to you For the Lawes of GOD Nature and Nations together with the Dictates of Reason and the Common consent of all Casuists allow that to those which are intrusted with managing the Supreame Authority of a State or Kingdome which they do not allow to a multitude of private Persons though they have strength in their hands to effect it And moreover although the Parliament thus took up Arms for the Defence of their Persons and Priviledges and the preservation of Religion Lawes and Liberties Yet it was not their intention thereby to do violence to the Person of the King or devest him of his Regall Authority and what of Right belongeth to him as appeares by their many Declarations in that behalf Much lesse was it their purpose to subvert and overthrow the whole frame and fundamentall constitution of the Government of the Kingdome or to give power and authority to any persons whatsoever so to do And therefore we apprehend our selves obliedged thus to appear for the maintenance of our Religion Lawes and Liberties together with the Constitution Power and Priviledges of Parliament and the setled Government of the Kingdome both on the one hand against all Malignant Counsels and Designes for the introduction of an Arbitrary and Tyrrannicall power in the King and on the other hand against all irregular licentious proceedings of private Persons tending to the subversion of them and to the introduction of Anarchy Confusion Prophannesse and Irreligion And we are the more strongly engaged thus to adhere firmely to these our former just principles by reason of the severall Oathes and Covenants generally taken throughout the Kingdome as by the Protestation of MAY 5. 1641. Wherein we do in the presence of Almighty God promise vow and protest according to the dutie of our Allegiance to maintain and Defend with our lives power and estates His Majesties Royall Person Honour and Estate and the Power and Priviledges of Parliament As also by the Vow and COVENANT wherein the Lords and Commons have Declared that there had then been a treacherous and horrid design to surprize the Cities of LONDON and WESTMINSTER with the Suburbs and by Arms to force the Parliament And finding by constant experience that many wayes of force and treachery are continually attempted c. Required That all that are true-hearted and lovers of their Country should bind themselves each to other in that Sacred Vow and Covenant wherein we Declare our abhorring and detesting the said wicked and treacherous designe and that we would according to our power and vocation oppose and resist the same and all other of the like nature And likewise by the Solemn League and Covenant for the Reformation and Defence of Religion the Honour and Happinesse of the King the Peace and Safety of the Kingdomes c. Wherein we have Covenanted That we will sincerely really and constantly in our severall Vocations endeavour to preserve the Rights and Priviledges of the Parliaments and Preserve and Defend the Kings Majesties Person and Authority in the preservation and Defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdomes that the World may bear witnesse with our Consciences of our Loyalty and that we have no thoughts or intentions to diminish His Majesties just power and greatnesse In all which obligations though the matter of them may be in part of Civill concernment yet the bond and tye of an Oath and Covenant is Religious sacred and inviolable Which though some may esteem no more then an ALMANACK out of date yet we look upon it as the Oath of GOD in whose Name we have sworne and who will certainly require it at our hands We know with what a jealous eye and severe hand the LORD avenged the quarrell of his Covenant made by Zedekiah to the King of Babylon though extorted from him and prejudiciall to him EZEK 17.14 15.18 19. Shall he prosper saith GOD shall he escape that doth such things Or shall he break the Covenant and be delivered As I live saith the Lord seeing he despised the Oath by breaking the Covenant when lo he had

given his hand he shall not escape Therefore thus saith the Lord God As I live surely mine Oath that he hath despised and my Covenant that hath broken even it will I recompence upon his own head We dare not therefore when we have lift up our hands to the most High GOD by the violation of a more righteous Oath provoke the wrath of the LORD against us who is the Searcher of all hearts and to whom we must give an accompt at the Great Day In stead therefore of joyning in Consultation with you We doe earnestly in treat you in the name of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ whose Ambassadours we are That you would commune with your own hearts consider the evill of your present wayes and turn from them Remember from whence you are fallen and repent and do your first works You were once honourable and precious in the eyes of us and others of Gods servants while you kept in Gods way and within your own spheare you had our hearts our help and our prayers for successe therein But alas you have eclipsed your own glory and brought a Cloud over all your excellencies You are now walking in by-paths of your own wherein we dare not say Psal 129.8 The blessing of the Lord be upon you We blesse you in the name of the Lord nor bid you God speed lest we be partakers of your evill deeds 2 John v. 11. In stead of preserving the Truth and purity of Religion and the Worship of God we fear you are opening a door to desparate and damnable Errors and Heresies against the Truth of God and to many licentious and wicked practises against the worship and wayes of God How is Religion made to stink by reason of your miscarriages and like to become a scorn and reproach in all the Christian world How are the faces of Gods faithfull servants covered with shame and their hearts filled with sorrow and grief by reason thereof How is the Golden Cord of Government broken in sunder the Honor and Authority of Magistracy laid in the Dust How hath the Parliament which sustained the force and opposition of professed Enemies for many years been made contemptible and torn in pieces by professed friends in one day You cannot but know how fully and frequently Gods Word commandeth and inforceth obedience and submission to Magistrates forbidding also and condemning and that under pain of damnation such practises as these of yours are As likewise what severe threatnings and exemplary judgements from God have been denounced against and inflicted on the Contemners and Opposers of this his Ordinance You know what a Brand the Aposte Jude puts upon those that despise Dominion and speak evill of Dignities Jude v. 8 11. Wo unto them saith he for they have gone in the way of Cain and run greedily after the errour of Balaam for a reward and perished in the gainsaying of Corah You know the sad examples of Corah Dathan and Abiram in their mutinous Rebellion and Levelling designe against Magistracy and Ministry in the Persons of Moses and Aaron You take too much upon you said they to Moses and Aaron Seeing all the Congregation are holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or Saints Wherefore then lift you up your selves above the Congregation of the Lord Which Moses feares not to call Agathering together against the Lord and warnes the people to avoid their company Num. 16.3 11 26 32 33 29. Depart from the Tents of these wicked men and touch nothing of theirs lest ye be consumed in all their sins After which the Earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up with all that appertained to them And yet there were in that Rebellion a considerable number of Eminent men two hundreth and fifty Princes of the Assembly famous in the Congregation men of Renowne And consonant to the tenor of the Scriptures herein hath alway been the constant judgement and doctrine of Protestant Divines both at home and abroad with whose Judgements we do fully concurre disclaiming detesting and abhorring the wicked and bloudy Tenents and Practises of Jesuites the worst of Papists concerning the opposing of lawfull Magistrates by private Persons and the murthering of Kings by any though under the most specious and colourable pretences Which Jesuiticall Principles and Counsels we fear may have too great a concurrence with if not an influence upon these late transactions Now we desire you seriously and as in the sight of God to examine your own hearts and wayes and to deal with your selves as sometimes Nathan did with David Put case some other Party of men in the Kingdome whose Principles had not been concurrent with yours should have attempted acts of such a nature as those that you have performed as seising the Kings person and removing him from place to place without and against his and the Parliaments consent would it not have been judged by you an intolerable contempt both of his and their authority Put case they and their Confederates had attempted the removall of the Parliaments Guards secured or inhibited a great number of their Members contrived and promoted new Modules of their own destructive to the being both of this and all other Parliaments with other acts of the like nature we appeale to your own consciences what clamours and accusations against them would from your selves have proceeded And if in other Persons you would condemne the fact the Lord grant you hearts to see who are the men Was it once a crime of the highest nature to endeavour the subversion of the fundamentall Lawes of the Kingdome to disswade the calling or perswade the dissolution of Parliaments to countenance Arminians or connive at Papists and can it be now commendable to contrive the subversion of the whole Lawes and Government of the Kingdome all at once and in stead of a few errours to allow as we fear some amongst you endeavour a totall impunity and universal Toleration of all Religions Be not deceived God is not mocked He knows how frequently you condemne that as a great crime in others which you would have accounted a vertue in your selves But God who is no respecter of Persons alloweth no such rule Rom. 1.22 Those who knowing the judgement of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death not only do the same things but have pleasure in or consent with them that do them in judging another condemne themselves Rom. 2.1.3 And thinkest thou this O man that judgest them which do such things and doest the same that thou shalt escape the judgement of God Verses 2.6.11 No surely we are sure the Judgement of God is according to truth against them which commit such things Who will render to every man according to his deeds For there is no respect of Persons with God Wee desire that you would not be too confident on former Successes If God have made you prosper while you were in His way this can be no warrant for you to walk in wayes of