Selected quad for the lemma: authority_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	law_n	people_n	power_n	6,970	5	5.1237	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A38438	England's standard, to which all the lovers of a just and speedy settlement, by a safe parliamentary authority, in city, country and army, are desired to repair, or, A remonstrance of the lovers of the commonwealth, inhabitants of Hampshire delivered to the council of the officers of the army, November 21, 1659.		1659 (1659)	Wing E3054; ESTC R2689	6,566	9

England's Standard To which all the Lovers of A just and speedy SETTLEMENT BY A safe Parliamentary AUTHORITY In City Country and Army are desired to repair OR A REMONSTRANCE OF The Lovers of the COMMONWEALTH Inhabitants of HAMPSHIRE Delivered to The Council of the Officers of the Army November 21. 1659. LONDON Printed for Livewel Chapman at the Crown in Popes-Head-Alley 1659. To the General Council of the Officers of the Army The Remonstrance of the cordial lovers of the Commonwealth inhabitants of Hampshire SHEWETH THat being very sensible that the Enemies of this Common-wealths peace and Safety are exceedingly lifted up in hopes and expectations that the present distractions will bring about their long-desired opportunity to introduce the Yoke and tyrannical Government of the late Kings family and finding also to our great grief that many that have heretofore been opposers of the same through the subtilty and insinuations of the said Party are ready to comply with them under pretence that there is no other possibility of Settlement We therefore judge our selves bound in duty to God our Country and Posterity to manifest and declare That our true and cordial affections are so fixed to the love and desire of a firm and just Commonwealths Government that no fears sufferings nor hardships shall through the assistance of God in the least measure alter our resolutions but that we shall be ready with the hazard of our lives and all that is near and dear unto us to oppose both the open and private Enemies of the same And we account it also our duty as far as in us lies to strive that a period may be put to these long Distractions and Miseries which thereby are fallen on the Nation which as hitherto have been beneficial to none but a few ambitious self-seeking persons so we also visibly see never can nor will and that unless the Lord in mercy be pleased to put a period to the same we can expect no less then that a present total destruction will ensue or at best a servile submission to the will pleasures of them that shall be strongest For the prevention of which we cannot in our judgements find any remedy under heaven better easier speedier then an unanimous agreement of the well-affected Party on such Principles of common good and safety that may secure the Rights of all just interests And to the end it may be obtained we do in the bowels of pity and compassion to our poor almost-ruin'd Country implore this from you that finding by sad experience the hearts of men are generally so base and corrupt that there are few or none but are Enemies to the Liberty and Prosperity of their Country when they may enrich themselves thereby but onely for want of time and power and that it 's to be feared what men soever shall come into the supreme Power or Authority will make it their business as heretofore under fair pretences to enrich themselves and perpetuate their ambitions designes unless there be some sure firm and unalterable Limitations and Restrictions agreed on by the consent of the people to prevent the same That therefore you will with all speed and vigour joyn with us to invite all the Lovers of their own and their Countries peace and safety to centre in an Agreement according to the substance of these following Heads and that all those that shall own agree to and subscribe the same shall be capable to be Electors or Elected for all future Representatives and none else And that you will speedily after the signing the same desire and perswade them to chuse their Members that so by a visible and safe Authority the Nation may be secured from the power and designes of forraign and domestick enemies and all Interests that are useless oppressive and destructive to the general good and just Liberty of the Nation may be taken away 1. That no person or persons whatsoever on pain of High treason shall assume or challenge to themselves any power right or interest in making or altering of Laws but those that shall be immediately elected and impowered by the people that shall enter into and own this Agreement 2. That it shall not be in the power of any Representative to establish any Government by a King Single person or House of Lords nor to continue the Legislative power in themselves or make Laws for the continuation of it in others above the space of two years together at the most upon pain of the highest punishment that can be inflicted that so every man may taste of Subjection as well as Rule and may be equally liable to the Laws that he shall make for others 3. That seeing it is not in the power of humane creatures to confer any spiritual gift or authority on their Representatives and that they can receive no larger power then the people are capable to give them that therefore it is not nor shall be in the power of any Representative to intermeddle with things spiritual or supernatural nor to compel or inforce any person or persons directly or indirectly by Law against their own free-will and consent to pay to the maintenance of a National Ministery but leave all people free to pay their own Pastors and Ministers according to the infallible rule of the Gospel the practice of the Primitive times and the present practice of many Reformed Churches in forraign parts Provided nevertheless that it is not hereby intended or meant that the Parliament shall be restrained from any power in making Laws to prohibit the profession of any Religion not Christian neither the publike profession of Popery which is incorporated with the interest of a forraign power inconsistent with publike safety and society 4. That no publike Salary-man shall be capable to sit in Parliament nor during his session there shall be invested with any Salary-Office nor shall have any of the publike Treasure conferred on him under any pretence whatsoever on pain of high-Treason the place of an Ambassadour and the charges thereon expended onely excepted 5. That the Logistative power shall be kept separate and distinct from the Administrative power That all Representatives that shall be chosen by vertue and according to this Agreement shall be and are hereby ordained to be the Supreme Authority of the Nation to make and alter Laws to make War and Peace and to raise money for the same Provided they act not against nor endeavour to destroy or take away all or any of these five Fundamentals And it is hereby agreed and declared That whatsoever person or persons shall under any pretence whatsoever use power or force to dissolve the said Authority whilst it acts nothing against the five aforenamed Rules or use force to destroy those Laws which they shall make shall be deemed and accounted Traytors for the same and suffer punishment accordingly By this way of Agreement formerly practised in most Nations when a former Government through necessity for their preservation hath

to the nation in general to particularize Those people never think of lessening but encreasing the number benefit of Offices so that it often hath fallen out that Parliament-men by Salary-Offices have yearly received many thousands of pounds when they have been non-resident and have not paid 100 l. yearly to execute their place this is the reason that vast unnecessary sums of the publick Treasure have been consumed to the impoverishing of the Nation We do not in the least deny but that there may be and are many Salary-men both in the Army elsewhere that are as able may be as much confided in as any people in the Nation and we should be glad that they might proceed in freeing their Country from captivity and building of Laws or walls of safety about it and that they with Nehemiah would not eat the bread of the Governour for that the bondage is great but that they should be imployed in a double capacity or render void a certain safe principle for the nations ease may be a precedent of dangerous consequence And that Parliament men ought not to receive or share among themselves any of the publick Treasure is of absolute necessity had the long Parliament been restrained from it as also from giving large unwarrantable gratuities the nation had been some hundred thousand pounds better then now it is the souldiers had not been inforced to sell their Arrears for little or nothing the publick Faith-mony had been paid and in all likelyhood if they had been restrained from advantages to enrich themselves been bounded in their Sessions to sit but a short time they had made such good Laws and such a sure Foundation of Government that might have secured the Nation and themselves and ingaged the people in their affections to them for the good they had received by them Notwithstanding all this we know it is and will be the great cry of the implacable Royal Faction both old and new for a Free Parliament chosen as formerly without any Qualifications and to sit and make Laws without Restrictions this indeed is their Master-piece to bring in Stuarts Family it being visible that by such an Election few or none would be elected but those that would espouse the Stuarts Interest and so under a pretence of Law and Equity inthrone him to the utter destruction of all the honest party whom they brand with the Titles of Sectaries and Hereticks thereby to render them more contemptible to the people in general then the most vitious persons in the land whilst they themselves more justly deserve those titles by differing more from the Precepts and Practices of Christ the Apostles and Primitive Churches We are as much for a just Parliament Authority as any people in the nation and do declare from the sincerity of our hearts we cannot possibly in the least imagine how this nation can be secured in its liberties and proprieties but by constant successive Parliaments limited both in time and power for this being done they will not rashly thrust the Nation into wars knowing they must equally contribute to the charge and not be in a capacity to enrich themselves by great Offices in prosecuting the same Had the Nation been thus settled before causelesly the Spanish destructive War was begun it would in all probability together with the miseries that have thereby happened to the Nation have been prevented Although Parliaments have been guilty of high miscarriages yet this is not a ground sufficient to lay them aside and center in a worse way it may as well be alledged that all Magistracy hath generally made use of its power for their own Advantages and therefore that all Magistracie and Government ought to be laid aside and all things left to run into Anarchy and Confusion To conclude We profess in the integrity of our hearts we desire a real Reformation in Church according to the written word of God and the example of the Primitive times and a true firm and lasting settlement of the State that we may have Rulers as in the old time that may execute justice and judgement and be a terrour to those that shall do evil and a comfort to those that do well And we declare we have no designe nor desire in the least measure to ruine and destroy any of our fellow-Natives and Country-men as is cleerly manifest by what is afore specified And we do earnestly desire all Interests that are consistent with common safety and persons that desire to do as they would have others should do to them may consent and agree with us herein and we hope if the love of peace and settlement be not hid from their eyes they speedily will THis Remonstrance being read and the Presentors thereof with-drawn they were again called to whom the Chair-man Colonel Barrow returned this Answer That he was commanded to give the Remonstrators the thanks of the committee for their good affections to the Publick and to let them know they were proceeding on things of the same nature FINIS