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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	speak_v	time_n	write_v	3,365	5	5.2822	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41219	The resolving of conscience upon this question whether upon such a supposition or case as is now usually made (the King will not discharge his trust, but is bent or seduced to subvert religion, laws, and liberties) subjects may take arms and resist, and whether that case be now ... / by H. Fern.	Ferne, H. (Henry), 1602-1662.	1642 (1642)	Wing F802; ESTC R25400	33,929	69

THE RESOLVING OF CONSCIENCE Upon this Question Whether upon such a Supposition or Case as is now usually made The King will not discharge his trust but is bent or seduced to subvert Religion Laws and Liberties Subjects may take Arms and resist and Whether that Case be now RESOLVED I. That no Conscience upon such a Supposition or Case can finde a safe and clear ground for such resistance II. That no Man in Conscience can be truly perswaded that the resistance now made is such as they themselves pretend to that pleade for it in such a case III. That no Man in Conscience can be truly perswaded that such a case is now that is that the King will not discharge His trust but is bent to subvert c. Whence it followeth That the resistance now made against the higher Power is unwarrantable and according to the Apostle Damnable Rem 13. Also that the shedding of bound in the pursuit of this resistance is Murder By H. FERN D. D. c. Wo unto them that call evill good and gool evill that put Darknesse for Light and Light for Darknessae Isa. 5. 20. O my Soule come not thou into their secret Gen. 49. 6. Printed at York by Stephen Bulkley 1642. To all Misse-led People in this Land HE that in these times will speak any thing to the People in behalf of the King is likely to doe it upon disadvantage and be heard with prejudice but they that would be profitably informed by what they heare must lend an equall Eare to what is spoken which I hope you will do being such for the most part as professe to make a conscience of your wayes I desire therefore of you into whose hands this Treatise shall come that you would receive it with mind and affection answerable to that wherewith it is offered to you free from partiality and private respects that you would consider Cases of Conscience are written out of Conscience And were a distressed Prince a fit object for flattery or this kind of instruction capable of such language yet is this a time for every man to informe and speak his Conscience and as many of you as shall reade me in this book will I hope conceive I had no other purpose in the publishing of it then to give testimony to the truth for the directing of your Consciences and the discharge of mine own I have therefore written it plainly without affectation of curiosity having a respect onely to your profit the Learned through the Land are sufficiently persawded and I may asure you all Ages have asserted this truth out of which I could have drawn a cloud of witnesses and presented them to your sight but thought it more expedient for your direction to shew you the cleare light of Divine Scripture and rectified Reason the onely rules of Conscience and if by these you shall be brought to see the crookednesse of the New Doctrine of these times and the uneven dangerous windings of this way of resistance I have gained the end of my desires and you have not lost by it One thing I must note as strange that to discourse upon this argument shouldbe thought as it is by many a worke altogether beyond the profession of the Divine Indeed popular States-men have alwayes held it very impolitick and unreasonable that Subjects should not in dangers imminent have means to save themselves by a Power of resistance and accordingly framed their principles and grounds of State as unquestionable We examine not the power or wisdome of Law-makers but when we receive their Law Declaration or Command and know it in terminis understand it in the sense it be its certainly it belongs to the Divine to consider whether it be against Gods Law and accordingly to instruct his people If it be agreed upon as a thing known in this State that the King is the higher Power according to St. Paul the Supreme according to St. Peter the Father of the Commonwealth according to the fifth Commandement surely it belong to the Divine to urge obedience honour and subjection according to those place and reprove resistance forbidden there Which obedience we acknowledge to be limited and circumscribed by the established Laws of the Land and accordingly to be yeilded or denyed to the higher Power if those Laws be not repugnant to the Law of God And for Resistance as we have not yet heard of any Law of the Land that commands or warrants it so we know that were there any Law or Ordinance made to enjoyn it such would not bind being against the Apostles expresse prohibition back'd with arguments drawn from the very reason of Goverment as shall be shewen in this following Treatise Be they who they will that present you with imminent dangers and work upon your fears that tell you of Fundamentall Lawes and give you rules of policy to captivate your reason when all that 's done it is the Divine that must settle the Conscience which will not be quiet if in yeilding obedience to any Law or Ordinance it comes to a suspicion that such an Ordinance of man entrencheth upon the word of God Let me tell you for I suppose you follow this way in the simplicity of your hearts how you are wrought upon by them that mis-leade you You are dealt with according to your generall desire of the continuance of true Religion and the Subjects Liberty not according to the particular grounds of safety which conscience doth require You are told the Gospel and your Liberties and all you have are in most imminent danger and without taking Arms for the defence irrecoverably lost and that this is lawfull by the Fundamentals of this Kingdom You must take all this upon trust without an expresse and particular warrant to rule and secure your Conscience against the expresse words of the Apostle forbidding resistance Rom. 13. You professe your selves enemies to Popery and good reason for it but why should you therfore be enemies to your King that declares against it too I would you could observe how under pretence of keeping out Popery you are led in this way of r●sistance by the like steps that brought Popery in For examine your hearts and try if the name of Parliament which is of honourable esteem with all be not raised to the like excesse of credit with you as the name of the Church is with the Papists if you have not within you a silent thought of infallibility in that great Councel and so with an implicit faith are ready to receive and maintaine what ever is concluded there if you be not drawn to believe your Prince is minded to overthrow Religion and upon such a supposall or beleif according to the very method of Jesuitical practises to take up Arms against him If you do not rest satisfied with your generall intention of a good end that is the defence of Religion not examining the meanes you now use to compasse that end like those that for the advancing

abroad as were before the setting up of the Militia given out to keep the people amused the easier to draw them into a Posture of Defence as was pretended all such are discovered by time to have been vain if there be now any forraign ayd towards the King as all Christian Kings cannot but think themselves concerned in the cause it will be as just for him to use them against subjects now in Arms as it was unjust in the Barons to call in the French against their naturall King For the Queens Majesty Her Religion is no new cause if it be a sufficient cause of Jealousie to them they have had it from her first entrance I would to God it were otherwise with her that it would please the Lord to open her eyes that she may see the truth and light of the Protestant Religion onely this I must say this is not the way to draw her to it if she look at it in the doctrines and practises of these times she is not like to fall in love with it For the resort of Papists and the Kings entertaining them He hath often declared what caution he desired to use therein till necessitie hath driven him to admit of some few into his Army which also he answered lately Let me adde this concerning the justnesse of it If he hath entertained any into this service he may justly make use of them We see what manner of men were gathered to David in his distresse 1. Sam. 22. 2. and how false Ziba bringing provision to the King when he fled from Absolom was entertained and rewarded insomuch that the King when afterward he knew how Ziba had abused him to gain his own ends would not reverse the sentence pronounced in his favour If therefore in this distresse after much forbearance our King hath admitted the help of some Recusants it cannot be alledged as a cause of the resistence now made against him but that resistence was a cause of it and if the Papist will shew himself a good subject it is just and reasonable that the King when he is put to it may admit of his help and the more shame it is for them that professe the Protestant Religion to force him to it a scandall that would not easily be wiped off from our Religion were it to stand or fall by the doctrines of this giddie Age Lastly His Majestie hath written enough for the clearing himselfe from those false and odious imputations laid upon him in relation to the Irish businesse I have onely thus much to say concerning any thing intended for the relief of Ireland It was great pittie they should want it there but it is more pittifull the King should be forced to make use of it here It is not long since our neighbour Nation brought an Army into the Northern parts of this kingdome to the great detriment of the inhabitants there and it was excused by invincible necessitie which drove them hither The necessitie his Majestie was driven to is sufficiently known and might excuse him in taking his own where he meets with it and drawing it from his service abroad to that which more nearly concerned him at home And when his Arms Moneys and Provisions are seised on wherever they be found intended for him and imployed against him in a Warre the Lord knows how unnecessary shall it not be lawfull for him to take some part of them where he finds it for his necessary defence Indeed the distresse of Ireland by the help of wicked Pamphlets hath been used as a great engine to weaken the Kings reputation with his people but upon whose account the heavie reckoning of that neglected Cause will be laid together with the disturbance of this kingdome any man in Conscience may easily discern that sees what sufficient and reasonable means might have been had for the security of Religion and Liberties and for the redresse of all just greivances before this time Which is the next thing considerable What his Majesty hath done and profered to exempt these scruples of fears and jealousies out of his peoples minds For Religion if it be a new Frame they contend for I must acknowledge he declares against all such but if they desire the continuance of that true Protestant Religion which hath been professed without interruption from the beginning of the Queens dayes and established by the Laws of this Land that he undertakes to maintain that he hath protested in the head of his Army to defend For matter of Church-government and discipline he hath offered any just reformation even with a respect to tender consciences in point of Ceremony hath often called his two Houses to the work in drawing up the grievances to some head For priviledges of Parliaments and libertie of Subjects he hath given them the like promises with the deepest Protestations and by an excellent moderation amidst the pressures and necessities of Warre hath shown what respect he hath to the property and libertie of the Subject Lastly For his choyse of Officers of State he hath promised to admit any just exception and thereupon to relinquish the person and as an assurance of all this hath so farre condescended as to take away Starre-chamber High-commission Bishops votes c. and to grant the Continuance of this Parliament and the constant return of a Trieniall And now after all these promises and protestations and so many reall expressions of Grace can any man in conscience think there was yet place left for Propositions of such necessary concernment that except they be granted this Kingdome must be imbroyled in a Civill warre and the releif of Ireland neglected I speak not this to cast any blemish upon the wisdome of the great Councel or upon their desires and endeavors to gain a greater security to the Publick but I would to God the King were once thought worthy to be trusted a little and that the Consciences of his Subjects were more respected which cannot so easily be commanded into a resistence being very tender in the points of damnation and taught out of Gods Word not to raise so much as an evil thought against the King much lesse to lift up an armed hand Every mans Conscience now is solicited to adhere either to the King in this great cause or to joyn with Subjects in making resistence To draw it from Allegiance tongues are set on fire of hell which blast his Majesties Actions and Declarations and books written by hellish spirits enemies to peace and quietnesse are suffered to issue forth into every corner of the land to possesse the people That his promises are but words his acts of Grace were forced he will not stand to them It seems then he must by force of Arms be compelled to be willing But let us see whether a Conscience that destres to be safe can be so perswaded in judging the actions and intentions of him to whom it owes the highest duty under God as first to conclude He