Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	call_v	name_n	part_n	1,946	5	4.1439	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90814	The paper called the Agreement of the people taken into consideration, and the lawfulness of subscription to it examined, and resolved in the negative, by the ministers of Christ in the province of Lancaster. Published by them especially for the satisfaction of the conscience, and guiding of the practise of our entirely honored and beloved, the people of our several churches, committed to our charge; and for the general good of this Church & nation.	Heyrick, Richard, 1600-1667.	1649 (1649)	Wing P279; Thomason E546_27; ESTC R203122	28,425	38

THE PAPER Called the AGREEMENT of the PEOPLE taken into CONSIDERATION AND The Lawfulness of Subscription to it Examined and Resolved in the Negative by the Ministers of Christ in the PROVINCE of LANCASTER Published by them especially for the satisfaction of the Conscience and guiding of the practise of our entirely honored and beloved the People of our several Churches committed to our Charge and for the general good of this Church Nation LONDON Printed for LUKE FAWNE and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Parrot in Pauls Church-yard 1649. The paper called the Agreement of the People taken into Consideration and the lawfulness of Subscription to it examined and resolved in the negative by the Ministers of Christ in the Province of LANCASTER THis Agreement being drawn up in the name of the People of England and by the Title of the Book being tendered to the Consideration of the People as also by a Declaration bearing the name of his Excellency THOMAS Lord FAIRFAX and his general Councel of Officers annexed to it it is said to be tendered to the People of England and the said Declaration desiring that all good people of England Will cordially embrace it and by Subscription declare their Concurrence and accord thereto when it shall be tendered to them as is directed therein And it being of universal Concernment taking in and desposing of all publique Affairs not onely of the Civil State but of Religion We the Ministers of Christ in the Province of Lancaster who have constantly and cordially adhered to the Cause of King and Parliament both in the first and second War and have opposed according to our places and Callings the late Scottish Engagement by which many of us have been Sufferers and having been called thereunto by the Authority of Parliament have not only taken but press'd upon our people both the Vow and Protestation to 5 May 1641. and the Solemn League and Covenant in the latter of which we have bound our selves Art 6. in the Cause therein Covenanted all the days of our lives zealously and constantly to continue against all Opposition and to promote the same according to our power against all Lets and Impediments whatsoever and what we are not able our selves to suppress or overcome to reveal and make known that it may be timely prevented or removed And Art 4. That we shall also with all faithfulness endeavor the discovery of all such as have been or shall be Incendiaries Malignants or evil Instruments by hindering the Reformation of Religion dividing the King from his People or one of the Kingdoms from another or making any faction or parties amongst the People contrary to this League and Covenant do hold our selves bound our common interest and relations our special vocations and our aforesaid Engagements being considered not only deliberately to weigh and resolve with our selves and one another what to do in reference to this Agreement but publiquely to make known our apprehensions concerning it for the resolution of those that may be in doubt about it and t●●t those that are for it may have our Reasons why we dissent from it and we humbly and dearly entreat our highly honored and beloved Country-men and Brethren of this Kingdom into whose hand this our paper may come as well the Composers and Publishers of the Agreement as those to whom it is directed and intended to be offered for their Subscription more especially the Inhabitants of this County unto whom we stand in a more intimate relation both as living among and having the spiritual Charge respectively of them candidly to take and interpret and conscientiously to perpend this our maturely conceived and setled Judgment This Draught called the Agreement of the People being a Platform of State-Government calculated for this Nation and so more immediately of a Political or Civil Consideration Our undertaking is not to survey or give our Verdict on every thing it holds forth divisively or by distinct Sections no● yee shall we examine any thing in it Politically or by the rule of State-M●●i●s or the Laws of the Realm we remit that work to the learned State-men and Lawyers of the Land * Ashursts Reasons c. and Mr Prynnes Speech But we shall 〈◊〉 it as Christians and Ministers enquiring and determining according to our Talent how it may stand or disagree with the dictates of Conscience regulated by the Word of God And in doing this our method will be 1. To give an account of our Conceptions upon the whole plot or frame taken together 2. To speak distinctly and particularly to the Ninth Section which concerneth Religion whereupon we shall be the rather particular because it is both more proper to our profession and more pressing to our souls For the first The project of this Agreement is to place a power in the People to alter when they will the Government of the Kingdom to abrogate the present and to erect a new form of Policy and to be Lords paramount or transcendental Moderators over those to whom the Government is committed assuming to deliver them their Authority to give them Laws to disanul the Laws they make to consine their Legislative power and to oppose them by force of Arms when they see good and to move them now to exert the said power This may appear by the whole tenor of the Agreement and namely in that it represents the People ordering the present Parliament to dissolve a Pag. 8 partic 1. appointing new Representatives of a new proportion and Constitution both in regard of places and persons electing and of the manner times and other circumstances of Election b Pag 8 partic 2. c. which are to have the supream trust in order to the preservation and government of the whole and their power is to extend without the consent or concurrence of any other person or persons to the erecting and abolishing of Courts of Justice and publique Offices and to the enacting altering repealing and declaring of Laws and the highest and final Judgment concerning all natural or civil things c Pa. 24. part 8 limiting the said Representatives from having power in many things d Pa. 24. partic 8. c. directing and restraining them in matter of Religion e Pa. 26. par 9 and repealing all Laws Ordinances and Statutes contrary to the Liberty in Religion which they provide f Pa. 27 part 4 reserving in themselves or any of them power to resist them by force of Arms in some cases g P. 27. part 10 And that such a fundamental change was in the Intentions of the Compilers is evident by the Declaration following it which saith it contains the best and most hopeful Foundations for the Peace and future well-Government Government of this Nation h Page 30. and in it they disclaim to middle in any thing save the Fundamental setling of that power to wit the Law-giving or Judicial power over the

to in them upon any temptation either of advantage offered or danger and trouble threatened and the remissness backwardness and indifferency of spirit in all we excuse not our selves in this in relation to the duties of them But especially we know not how to hide or hold in the sorrow and shame that even unto horror hath filled our hearts and faces upon occasion of the late proceedings both those against the secluded and imprisoned Members of Parliament and those against the person of the King deceased we not knowing how to clear them from manifest disloyalty and breach of Covenant and when we would comfort our selves with this that our souls have not come into the secrets of or been united in any society with those actions but ever abhorred them our hearts are yet faint within us when we consider how upon these proceedings our Christian and Protestant profession the Way and common Cause we have stood for the endeavored Reformation and the National Covenant we with others have entered into are reproached Oh tell it not in Gath publish it not in the streets of Askelon lest the daughters of the Philistins rejoyce ● Sam. 1.20 lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph But having delivered our sense in this first part of the whole frame and general drift of the book we proceed to that which we proposed for our second part the examination of the nineth Section of this Agreement which concerneth Religion we have seen its contrivements in humane or civil matters let us now see how it would despose in the matters of God and truly in this respect we may say to the promoters of it as the Prophet Isaiah spake to Ahaz the King Hear ye now is it a small thing for you to weary men but will ye weary any God also (a) Isai 7.13 In speaking to this Section we shall 1. dissect it sentence by sentence denoting as we go the flaws or faults we observe in it 2. Lay down some of our Reasons against what we take to be the main import or project of it to wit the dissettlement and free intermixture of Religion This Section of Religion is divided into four heads whereof we shall examine particularly the three first It is intended Agreem 1. that Christian Religion be held forth and recommended as the publike Profession in this Nation 1. How reservedly sparingly fearfully doth this Agreement own Religion as if it were jealous of engaging men to it it dare not injoyn no nor resolve firmly on it only it adventures to intend it a word that enacts or puts not anything in being imports nothing but a wavering irresolvedness and mutability 2. How doubtfully doth it hold forth Religion Here 's no restriction to true Christian Religion although there are so many so extreamly differing ways of Religion which assume the title of Christian yea instead of such a necessary restriction here 's a plain implication in that only Popery and Prelacy are excepted from being thus held forth That any Religion Popery and Prelacy excluded may be the publique Profession 3. How pretendedly and meerly in shew doth it hold forth the profession of Christian Religion for in the three following Heads it leaves practise free and what gross hypocrisie is this If a man should propound to himself and declare to others that he would profess Christian Religion but he would leave himself a freedom to practise any way live as his list were not this in him the most deliberate wilful and perfect hypocrisie that can be imagined And is it not so in a Nation yet this is the Agreements Profession 4. Is not this holding forth of Christian Religion as the publique Profession being compared with the rest of this Section a self-contradiction for if none shal be compelled to the publique profession but may cast it off if they will as in the second Head and if men may both profess and practise differently from that which it 's said shall be publiquely held forth as in the third Head if this liberty be generally made use of what becomes of the publique profession how is it held forth and by whom And suppose it not grown to that yet this Agreement neither tells us who it intends shall hold it forth nor by what acts or means it shall be held forth but on the contrary denies the Representatives to have the highest and final Judgment concerning things Spiritual or Evangetical Pag. 14. part 8 and consequently it cannot be done by them and for a Church Representative or National Synod or any other way of holding forth a publique Profession here is not the least sillable but contrarywise provisions that make it morally impossible to be done Agreem Which we desire may by the grace of God he reformed to the greatest purity in Doctrine Worship and Discipline according to the Word of God 1. Here are none nominated encouraged or authorized to take this work in hand and we apprehend the Representatives being not to have the judgment of things Spiritual of Evangelical are dis-enabled to do or set others about it 2. But in the three following Heads there are full promises that men may if they will live unreformed yea lay aside the very face and profession of Religion or deform the Church of God in Doctrine Worship or Discipline without controul 3. We have Covenanted a Reformation in all these but is this hollow desire with long actual grants of the contrary following it all the keeping and performing of our Covenant that is intended It is no marvel those words are left out according to the example of the best reformed Churches for such a Reformation is this is without example or pattern in any Church or age 4. It is Reformation according to the Word of God That the Magistrate suppress the preaching of false doctrines and exercise of false Religion and that he command men to serve the Lord according to his own institution and bring men to the means of their Salvation which the following particulars deny him power to do Agreem The instructing of the people whereunto in a publique way so it be not cumpulsive as also the maintaining of able Teachers for that end and for the confutation or discovery of Heresie Error and whatsoever is contrary to sound doctrine is allowed to be provided for by our Representatives 1. Here is mention of able Teachers for the instructing of the people in Christian Religion but not a word of a Church or Ministry for this or for the building up of those that are instructed or for the offering up of the publique Worship the administration of the Sacraments and Discipline Must we have none of these things provided for Must they be laid aside until that faint desire without hands or endeavors work out a Reformation Or must these be dispensed by any body Here then is a Christian Religion without Church Ministry Sacraments or Discipline 2. Here is confutation and discovery of Heresie c