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	england_n	entitle_v	1,993	5	10.1542	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88242	The reasons of Lieu Col: Lilbournes sending his letter to Mr. Prin, humbly presented to the Honorable Committee of Examinations. Making my appearance (upon summons) before this Honorable Committee, to answer, to the complaint of Mr. Prin, for publishing in print a letter which I had sent unto him. And having upon demand, acknowledged the publishing thereof, I humbly intreated that I might have the favour, to render the reasons for my so doing: which you were pleased to grant, and to injoyn me to bring them in writing; for which I esteeme my self farther obliged unto this Honorable Committee. Unto whose grave considerations I humbly present my said reasons as followeth. Wherein I humbly intreat I may not appear arrogant or vain-glorious, though I enlarge my self in relation of my own condition and actions, it being a necessitie enforced upon me by my accuser Mr. Prinne.	Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.	1645 (1645)	Wing L2168; Thomason E288_12; ESTC R200097	5,369	8

earnestly prest upon tender consciences though their faithfulnesse were no whit doubtfull as upon Neutrals and Malignants and refusing because of some expressions put from offices of trust and publick imployments That rude ignorant people frequently took boldnesse to break and spoil their houses threatning to fire them and to stone the people to death that some had been beaten and sore bruised one had been killed in the place where he was worshipping God and many women so abused as they miscarried of their children All which usages so full of hazard and mischief to good men can be testified by witnesses These and the like Discourses may it please this Honorable Committee being the hourely complaints of a faithfull religious people ever deare and pretious to my affections for their unfained zeale to God and sinceritie to the Parliament made very sad and deepe impressions upon my spirit so as considering with my selfe whence so great evils should againe arise the Bishops High Commission and Starre-Chamber being all suppressed the Parliament having ever shewed good respect towards them as having had their reall and cordiall assistance in the most doubtfull times I concluded within my self that they were the issues of sundrie invective and provoking language divulged both from the Pulpit and Presse Wherein I found none to exceed or to come neer unto my old fellow-sufferer Mr. Prinne from whom I least expected such bitter expressions yea so bitter that truly when I considered them and rightly apprehended the dangers thereof I was so farre from wondering at the miserable sufferings of consciencious people that I rather wondred that any of us walked the streets in safetie For though the power of God force him to confesse in the first page of his Epistle to the Parliament in his book entituled Truth triumphing over Falshood that we for the most part are really cordiall in our affections actions to the Parliament and Church of England for which and for our pietie we are as he saith to be highly honoured yet immediately after he endeavours to make us our actions and tenents to be destructive to the very fundamentall power and being of Parliaments and as bad or worse then the Popish Gunpowder-plot to blow up the Authority of this high Court in all succeeding ages Being confident as he saith that no age nor History can ever paralell us in the least measure the very malignant Prelates and Anti-parliamentary Cavaliers being not so bad as we And a little after saith that we contemne and despight Authoritie and all humane power whatsoever And in his Epistle to the Reader page the second he saith that we are destructive to all Christian and humane societies and bring in meere confusion and flat Atheisme amongst the people And a little after saith that we dissolve all relations subordinations and humane societie it selfe being as bad as the Popish Monks Hermites Anchorites Nunnes and Jesuites with infinite other most desperate monstrous provoking unjust and unsufferable expressions which all his books are filled full of In all which there appeared to my understanding so unchristian a spirit and tending so much to the prejudice and utter destruction of a most faithfull precious godly people and being consciencious of my own integritie and uprightnesse and also of all the rest of my friends that are as Souldiers in your service being pressed above measure in my very conscience by all the premised reasons and motives I could do no lesse then what I did both in duty towards God in love to my poore afflicted despised yet innocent brethren and to my native Countrey then endeavour to take off those vile inhumane unsufferable scandals he laboured to cast upon us tending so much to our utter ruine and destruction and the damage of the Parliament and Kingdome Also I was moved to write my Letter to Mr. Prinne not onely because of his bitter invective slanderous language but because he not onely endeavours to insence the Parliament and people of England against my selfe and all such as I am in the Army and elsewhere but likewise eagerly presseth them to destroy us and cut us off Epistle to the Parliament page 5 and at the conclusion of his book entituled Independency examined c. there he presseth the cutting us of ●y the Sword yea and in the conclusion of his Full Reply he presseth the Parliament upon pain of contracting the guilt of highest perjury to execute wrath and vengeance upon us by meanes of all which he became as I conceived guilty of being an Incendiary betwixt the Parliament and their faithfull friends and Servants which actions and practises of his tended to no better end but to the utmost of his abilitie at least to make us to be sleighted and contemned of those that formerly had honoured us and given us no small cause to love and honour them that we a faithfull conscientious and considerable party in the Army and Kingdome might be dis-ingaged which endeavour of his to cause them to lay down their Armes I conceived would be an advantage to none but the common Enemy but a great disadvantage and losse to the Parliament and Common-wealth The serious consideration of which exceedingly pressed me out of that reall love I beare to my Countrey in a few lines to Mr. Prinne to discover unto him his unworthy and uncharitable dealing towards those he falsly calumniateth and the great dis-service his bloody lines is likely to do to the whole Kingdome in generall In dividing the affections of those that formerly were one till such bitter dividing spirits as his kindled a blazing fire of discord and dissension amongst us Now I appeal to every true hearted Englishmen that desires a speedie end of these warres of what evill consequence it would be to the Parliament and Kingdome to have so faithfull and considerable a party as Mr. Prinne calumniateth and reproacheth as bad if not worse then ever the Bishop of Canterbury did should be causlesly cut off with the Sword or be dis-ingaged by his meanes especially seeing the Kingdomes necessities is such that they stand in need of the help of forrainers of all which people whom he reproacheth as Independents Brownists Anabaptists I am confident he is not able to tax any one of them with unfaithfulnesse to the Parliament nor with cowardlinesse or any other basenesse in the Service And for my part I professe I know not one of that generation in England that ever drew his Sword one houre for the King or his party against the Parliament and theirs and if Mr. Prinne know any I desire him to declare it Now most Noble and worthy Senators is it not a sad thing that it should be a crime in that man who being sensible of these bloody unchristian and dividing practises in Mr. Prinne us'd meanes to inform him thereof and endeavoured by a free debate with him which I offered him in my letter to convince and reclaim him from making further progresse in incensing Magistracy against those that are faithfull and successefull instruments of their preservation to leave the publick Service as in the prelaticall time for oppression of conscience in so much as I could not forbear These are the Reasons which mov'd me to send my Letter to Mr. Prinne which I humbly offer and submit to the grave Judgement of this Honorable Committee being resolved that no provocations from any man shall slack my wonted faithfulnesse to my distressed Countrey Besides the foresaid afflictions of the poore Saints others increase daily as that of Mr. Knowles who being lately at a meeting with a company of Christians and being preaching the Word of God had divers Bullets shot at him out of a Crosse-bowe of purpose to slay him the party is since apprehended John Lilburne Lieut. Coll. Printed 13. June 1645. Acts 13.8 16.19 20 21 22. 17.5 6 7. 19.23 24 25. 21.27 28. But the Jews which beleeved not moved with envy took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort and gathered a company and set all the City on an uproar and assaulted the house of Jason and sought to bring them out to the people And when they found them not they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the Rulers of the City crying These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also whom Jason hath received and these do all contrary to the Decree of Cesar saying that there is another King one Jesus Act. 28.22 But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest for as concerning this Sect we know that every where it is spoken against FINIS