Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	church_n	common_a	prayer_n	12,094	5	6.5173	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25790	A letter from the Marqves of Argile and Sir William Armyn in the name of themselves and their confederates, to Sir Thomas Glemham, dated at Barwicke, January 20 : with the answer of Sir Thomas Glemham and the commanders and gentry of Northumberland, dated at Newcastle, January 23.	Argyll, Archibald Campbell, Marquis of, 1598-1661.; Armyne, William, Sir, 1593-1651.; Glemham, Thomas, Sir, d. 1649.	1643 (1643)	Wing A3659; ESTC R40743	3,370	8

A LETTER FROM THE MARQVES of ARGILE and Sir WILLIAM ARMYN In the name of themselves and their Confederates to Sir Thomas Glemham Dated at Barwicke Ianuary 20. WITH THE ANSWER OF SIR THOMAS GLEMHAM And the Commanders and Gentry of Northumberland Dated at Newcastle Ianuary 23. Printed at York by Stephen Bulkley 1643. Gentlemen ALthough we justly presume that the solemne mutuall Covenant entred into by both Kingdomes hath long since come to your hands likewise that you have had notice of the raising of this Army desired by the Parliament of England for the prosecution of those Ends therein expressed viz. The preservation and Reformation of Religion he true Honour and happinesse of the King And the the publique Peace and Liberty of His Dominions Yet that it may appeare both to you and all the world how unwilling we are to make a forcible use of those Armes we have been constrained by the disappointment of all other means of safety to take up We the Commissioners and Committees of both Kingdomes have thought sit beside that Declaration a Coppie whereof wee herewith send lately emitted in the name of the Kingdome of Scotland for the satisfaction of the people concerning the Entrance of this their Army To take more perticular notice of you the Chiefe Gentlemen and Commanders hoping likewise that things of so great and considerable consequence will find with you such an entertainment as will answer the weight and importance of them We will not so much wrong the Cause we have undrtaken as to goe about after so many Demonstrations of the necessity of our present Posture to dispute it with you but rather instead of Arguments we thinke it reasonable to acquaint you with our well weighed resolutions which are through the assistance of that God in whose cause we are ingaged and whose strength alone we trust in with our utmost industrie and hazard to endeavour the prevention of that imminent danger not onely of Corruption but of Ruine which we see evidently intended to the true Protestant Religion by the Popish and Prelaticall Faction who●ever wanted Will but now thinke they want not strength and opportunity to accomplish it as also the Rescuing of his Majesties Person and Honour so deeply and unhappily intangled in the Councels and Practice of them whose actions speake their ends to be ●ittle better then Poperie and Tyrannie and the redeeming the Peace and Libertie of his Dominions in which the Irish Rebellion and the sad and unnaturall Divisions in England have made so great a breach To the accomplishment of those so just and Honourable Designes we have reason to expect the concurrance of all men who either owe or pretend a due love to their Religion King and Countrey and shall be very sorry to want yours but if mis-information or any other unhappy grounds shall so farre prevaile with you as to reckon us in the number of your enemies which certainly we are not if you be friends to those ends mentioned in our Covenant And in stead of that concurrance with us which we with and hope to deserve we find from you opposition and Acts of Hostilitie the Law of nature and your owne reason will tell you what you are to expect We onely adde that though it will not a little trouble us to see men withstanding not onely us but their owne good and happinesse yet it doth in good measure satisfie us that we have not neglected this or any other meanes to the best of our power or understanding to prevent those inconveniencies and mischiefes that may arise from those Acts of force which we shall be necessitated unto Subscribed at Barwick the 20. of Ianuary 1643. by the Warrant and in the name of the Committee of both Kingdoms By us your friends W. Armyn M. Argyll My Lord I have this day received yours together with one to the Gentlemen of the Countrey and having communicated with them Wee returne you this Answer THat without the sight of that Letter we could not have beene induced by any flying rumours to beleeve that the Scottish Nation or a prevailing Party for the present in that Nation would have attempted an invasion of England So contrary to the lawes of God of Nations of both Kingdomes and especially to the late Act of Pacification So opposite to their Allegiance and Gratitude to his Majesty to that neighbourly love which they pretend to that discreet care which they should have of their owne safety We could not otherwise have imagined that they who by his Majesties goodnesse enjoy a settlement of their Church and State according to their own desires should needlesly and ingratefully imbroile themselves in a businesse that concernes them not forfeit their rights disoblige His Majesty and hazard the losse of their present happinesse No Order of any Committee or Committees whatsoever of Men or Angels can give them power to martch into the bowels of another Kingdome to make offensive War against their naturall Soveraigne upon the empty pretence of Evill Councellours who could never yet be named And for the English Agents we cannot beleeve them to be any Commissioners lawfully authorised either by the Parliament or by the two Houses or yet by the House of Commons where so many of the Members are expelled by parciall Votes so many banished by seditious Tumults so many voluntarily absent themselves out of conscience where desperation or want of opportunity to depart or feare of certaine plunder are the chiefest bonds which hold the little remnant together from dissepation where the venerable name of Parliament is made a stale to countenance the pernicious Counsailers and Acts of a close Committee For Subjects to make Forraigne Confederacies without their Soveraignes assent to invade the Teritories of their undoubted King to goe about by force to change the Lawes and Religion established is grosse Treason without all contradiction And in this case it argues strongly who have been the Contrivers and Fomenters of all our troubles No Covenant whatsoever or with whomsoever can justifie such proceedings or oblige a Subject to run such disloyall courses If any man out of ignorance or feare or credulity have entered into such a Covenant it binds him not except it be to repentance neither is there any such necessity as is pretended of your present Posture your selves cannot alledge that you are any way provoked by us neither are we conscious to our selves of the least intention to molest you Those ends which you propose are plausible indeed to them who doe not understand them The blackest designes did never want the same pretences If by the Protestant Religion you intend our Articles which are the publicke Confession of our Church and our Booke of Common Prayer established by Act of Parliament you need not trouble your selves we are ready to defend them with our bloud If it be otherwise it is plain to all the world that it is not the preservation but the innovation of Religion which you seeke howsoever by you stiled Reformation And what calling have you to reforme us by the sword Wee doe not remember that ever the like indignity was offered by one Nation to another by a lesser to a greater That those men who have heretofore pleaded so vehemently for liberty of conscience against all Oathes and Subscriptions should now assume a power to themselves by Armes to impose a Law upon the consciences of their fellow Subjects A vanquished Nation would scare indure such tearmes from their Conquerers But this we are sure of that this is the way to make the Protestant Religion odious to all Monarchs Christian and Pagan Your other two ends that is The honour and happinesse of the King and the publicke peace and liberty of his Dominions are so manifestly contrary to your practise that there need no other motives to with-draw you from such a course as tends so directly to make his Majesty contemptible at home abroad and to fill all his Dominions with rapine and bloud In an Army all have not the same intentions we have seen the Articles agreed upon and those vast summes and conditions contained in them as if our Countrey-men thought That England was indeed a Well that could never be dry And whatsoever the intentions be we know right well what will be the consequents If it were otherwise no intention or consequent whatsoever can justifie an unlawfull lawfull action And therefore you do wisely to decli●● all disputation ●bout it It is an easie thing to prete●● the Cause of God as the Jewes did the Temple of 〈◊〉 Lord but this is farre from those evident Demonstratio●● which you often mention never make Consider that there must be an account given to G●● of all the bloud which shall be shed in this qu●rrell T●● way to prevent it is not by such insinuations but to ●●tire before the sword be unsheathed or the breach made too wide You cannot think that we are grow●● such tame creatures to desert our Religion our Ki●● our Lawes our Liberties or Estates upon the co●●mand of Forreiners and to suffer our selves and 〈◊〉 posterity to be made beggers and slaves without 〈◊〉 position If any of ours shall joyne with you in t●● action we cannot looke upon them otherwise then 〈◊〉 Traitours to their King Vipers to their native Co●●trey and such as have been Plotters or Promoters this designe from the beginning But if mis-infor●●tion or feare hath drawne any of yours ignorantly or ●●willingly into this Cause we desire them to with-dr●● themselves at last and not to make themselves acce●●ries to that deluge of mischiefe which this seco●● voyage is like to bring upon both Kingdomes Subscribed at Newcastle Ianuary 23 Tho. Glemham c. FINIS