Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	find_v	king_n	law_n	2,835	5	4.8368	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31498	Certain observations, vpon the new league or covenant as it was explained by a divine of the new assembly, in a congregation at London / written and sent unto him in a letter by some of his auditors, with copy of the said covenant.	Divine of the New Assembly.	1643 (1643)	Wing C1714; ESTC R7542	25,539	83

there was ever any Reformation amongst us we had thought we had been still in Egypt under the bondage of the man of Perdition when we hear the reputed Zealous men of this age cry out of our Doctrine Discipline Government Liturgie as Popish and Antichristian It 's rare we must confesse to meet with so much ingenuity in the Sermons of most that go your way Well it is confessed by you There is a Reformation amongst us and such a one as hath been countenanced with many excellent favours from above such as are deliverances from imminent dangers from open violence and secret treachery of the enemies of our Religion setled Peace and tranquillity the renown of this Nation farre and neer which have made us a glorious Church as any in Christendome For though afterwards in your discourse you took occasion to cry down those that cry up this Church for a glorious Church yet you had little reason for it so long as you confesse this Church to have been honoured by Almighty God with extraordinary favours which are as precious ornaments and adde an outward lustre to her inward beauty and comelinesse and so make her glorious then it is strange we should be so extreamly weary of this present Government under which we have enjoyed such mercies The benefits that have accompanied it might still be encouragements to us to submit unto it especially when as wise men know well enough alterations in Publique matters are so dangerous for suppose there were something in our Government or Discipline to be reformed as in the best ordered Politie that can be something upon good reason established at first may in time grow burthensome and inconvenient yet are these of such moment as rather then bear them you will engage the Kingdoms in a most desperate War and venture the ruining of Church and State the desolation of the Land nay the shaking of the very foundation of Religion by means of such Heresies as grow apace in such confused times as these Calvin is searce of your minde who though dis-affected to some of our Ceremonies and Liturgie yet is so moderate as to call them toler abides ineptiae trifles that might be born with rather then cause a greater misch of of Schisme or Sedition And certainly for any to think that the reforming or removing these trifles as he calls them is able to countervail half the blood-shed and other mischiefs that are come upon us is altogether unchristian and inhumane too and savours of an heart that hath yielded it self to be ruled by the spirit of perversnesse and disobedience The disease is far more tolerable to us and lesse displeasing unto God then such a kinde of remedie God blesse us from such Physicians whose mediernes put us into a far worse condition then ever our maladies could But not to infist long upon that where your self made but a short stay After you had laid this part of Scripture before the people though indeed it makes nothing for you yet you are so consident as to alledge every place that mentions but the name of Covenans as pleading for you then you passe to a generall division of this Covenant into the Title and Contents The Title viz A folemn League or Covenant there you lay down the nature of a Covenant which you define thus A bond whereby any one bindes himself unto another for the performance of something mutually agreed upon by eath party Here by the way we doubt whether each particular in this Covenantis agreed upon by both parties He to whom we binde our selves is God and of his consent we have no other way to judge but by his will revealed and if we search the whole Book of God we shall not be able to finde any probability of his consent that we should enter into a solemn League for abolishing those Laws and that form of Government under which we live without the consent of Him that by Gods speciall Ordinance is appointed our Soveraign Lord and King Befides each point of this Covenant is not agreed upon amongst your selves For how many be there who are enjoyned to enter into this League that know not what the Doctrine or Discipline of Scotland is that they must defend they hope perchance it 's good because commended to them by men reputed wise underst anding but what rashnesse is it in the mean time for men to subscribe to that which they know not therefore must needs doubt whether it may be done or not Nor are all agreed about the abolishing of Episcopacy If not the greatest yet surely a great part of this Kingdom are well opinioned of that Office and know that the preheminence of some above others in the Clergy is consonant to the word of God and the examples of the parest times and that Prelacy is used very injuriously when 't is ranked amongst those ugly and hatefull names of Papery Superstition Heresie Schisme Prophanenesse of purpose to make it appear alike evill with those whose company it is enforced to keep and that what is amisse therein may with lesse labour and more advantage to the State and Religion both be Reformed then the whole Fabrich be taken down Nor yet are all of those who stand for the abolishing of Episcopacy agreed about this Reformation according to the word of God No question but the Independants when they take this Covenant have another meaning then the Presbyterians have thinking that their Discipline is onely warranted by the word of God and then what mutuall agreement is there or what Consent in the raking of this Covenant amongst those severall sorts that take it though the Contrivers of it have dealt so subtily as to put it into such generall terms that there might be no bogling on starting aside but that each sort might take it though intellding severall senses After this definition you pinoced to the division of a Covenant into Sacred Civill Mixt which difference the nature of the Subject puts upon them as being Sacred onely or Civill onely or partly Sacred and partly Civill This present Covenant you call Sacred though you have no warrant from the Title that is set before it where t is onely called A Solemn League or Covenant nor yet from the matter or contents thereof For the four last Articles of this Covenant containe things meerly Civill as will easily appear to any indifferent judgement And as for the other two which concern Preservation of Religion in Scotland and Reformation in England Religion we grant is Sacred but as for defending preserving resorming they properly belong to the Civill Magistrate and are effected by that power that God hath committed to him So that we cannot perswade our selves that you should think it to be agreeable to the truth to call this a Sacred League onely you perceive that otherwise it might be some disadvantage to the cause The name of Sacred sets it out with greater credit and makes it more readily to be

the Anabaptists in Germany shall finde that they scarce were exceeded by any living in that abundant humility strictnesse sanctity zeal devotion which appeared in them These were taken in the world as pledges of their harmlesse meaning and did rather procure them pity then provoice harsh usage The worst that understanding men conceived of them at first was onely this Oh quàm honestâ voluntate miseri errant with how good a meaning do these poor souls do evill yet afterwards what Vipers proved they both to Church and State This may suffice to shew that it is a false rule of judging a Cause by those that stand for it when as they may either deceive by hypocrisie or else be deceived by weaknesse But secondly you seem to be too unjust and Pharisaicall whilst you arrogate all Godlinesse unto your Partie What think you of those good men that are some of them at this present with the King some in prison some deprived of their goods and livelihood for making conscience of sedition and disloyalty yet have alwayes been reputed spotlesse and unblameable and are the same men still that ever they were and some of them are renowned in forraign countries for their learning and their piety And thirdly you look upon your selves with an over-partiall eye when you can see nothing but godlinesse and godly men on your side what think you Sir of Prince Griffith and Col. M. two godly Members indeed not to mention more these two are known well enough by their brave exploits otherwise we should be tender of their credits And for your Souldiers that fight for this holy Cause those who have had experience of their carriage in places where they have been Quartered do think they can scarce be exceeded by the most profane rabble in the Kingdom for drinking and swearing c. And for those that Preach for the Cause they most of them make a gain of godlinesse and so can easily put on a form of godlinesse In a word is there any man that will comply so far as to preach or fight or speak for the promoting of your designes any way discountenanced or discouraged let his impiety profanesse and deserts of severity be what they will It follows in this sixth Article I shall zealously constantly all the dayes of my life continue in this Covenant and seek to promote it against all opposition It were to be wished that this Zeal were not so much talked of unlesse it were better understood It is but a passion of the minde and so of it self as all passions are neither good nor evill And therefore it is used in a bad sense Zelos pikros bitter envying Iam 3.14 Zeloi Envyings Gal. 5.20 as often as in a good If it be without Charity it is but that which the Apostle calls bitter envying If without knowledge but blinde zeal and so apt to do much mischief howsoever able to do little good If without discretion it is but rashnesse and headinesse It were much safer therefore to teach the people how to moderate their Passions then to take care to stir them up To perswade them to be zealous and not together to instruct them how to regulate their zeal that it may be charitable just and orderly is but to teach them to be violent seditions tumultuous c. And when they are such do not many think themselves to be most zealous Did not Paul in the time of his ignorance think he breathed of the spirit when he breathed out threatnings against the Church Art 9. Did not Iehu bragge of zeal when his ambition led him forth to such attempts which God reckoned but as cruelty and injustice Hos 1.4 And is not most of the zeal of these times set on edge with desire of revenge pride or covetousnesse witnesse that greedinesse in the men of this generation and that unjust possessing themselves of the Estates the Lands and Livings of those whom they Maligne yet call them Malignants So when they stuffe their Prayers with Cursings and Bitternesse are they not thought to breath Zeal pure Zeal when they slander the footsteps of Gods anoynted load those that consent not in opinion with them with those hatefull names of Malignants Popishly affected expose them hereby to violence spoylings plundring when they profane the places of Gods publike worship tear in pieces the Service-books do such things as a Turke or Pagan would make conscience of are not these things accounted the blessed fruits of Zeal There is so much of this Zeal already as makes the jealousie of God to burn against us This Zeal may we justly rank in the number of those sins for which we are to acknowledge our selves to be truly humbled in the latter part of this Covenant But it may be feared the most are so far from being humbled that they account that which indeed is their shame to be their glory And therefore God may justly lash us into better mindes untill we see our selves there to be most guilty where we think we are most justified So to draw to a Conclusion The lastis the best part of all this Covenant and the most needfull namely To acknowledge our unfeigned desire to be humbled for our own sins and the sins of this Nation and to endeavour a reall Reformation of our selves others under our power and charge Here be certain Nationall sins reckoned up against the first table of the Law as that we have not as we ought valued the inestimable benefit of the Gospell nor laboured for the Power and Purity of it c. But if we look over again we shall finde other Nationall sinnes also amongst us against the second Table if we take Nationall in Doctor Taytoms sense In his Book against Prelacy for sinnes established by a Law So Disobedience of Subjects to that Ordinance God hath set over them of Children to their Parents Servants to their Masters are not these by new unheard of Votes and Ordinances made lawfull Is not Sacriledge Rapine Plundring Blood-shed speaking and receiving slanders established by a Law These are Nationall sinns therefore and such too as have a loud cry in the eares of the Almighty and lay such a guilt upon this Land that we cannot expect he should settle these Churches in Peace untill they be some way or other explated either by our repenting or his revenging And as for the Prayer in the close of all wherein you beseech God to blesse your endeavours with such successe as may be safety to his people and encouragements to other Churches to do the like He that shall duly observe the passages of Divine Providence on both sides since these broyles began how it hath fared with the King beyond all expectation to what strength he grew upon the suddain notwithstanding all the endevours to alienate the hearts of his Subjects from him what Victories he hath gotten what Towns he hath gained reducing the Northern and Western parts of this Kingdom