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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	brethren_n	honour_a	reverend_n	3,265	5	16.5287	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96240	A letter from the Assembly of Divines in England and the commissioners of the Church of Scotland written, and sent by order of the honorable House of Commons assembled in Parliament, to the Belgicke, French, Helvetian, and other reformed churches / translated into English and now published with the severall inscriptions to those churches by order of the said House.; Literae a Conventu Theologorum in Anglia et Ecclesiae Scoticanae delegatis. English	Westminster Assembly; Lauderdale, John Maitland, Duke of, 1616-1682.; Church of Scotland. General Assembly. Commission.; England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons.	1644 (1644)	Wing W1443A; ESTC R42767	7,942	17

to us we omit to mention If our God will lay our bodies as the ground and as the dust under their feete the will of the Lord bee done Might our bloud be a sacrifice to ransome the rest of the Saints of Christ from Antichristian fury most gladly would we offer it upon this service But that which breaks our hearts is the danger we behold the Protestant Religion and all the reformed Churches in at this time Wee know their rage is insatiable and will not be quenched with our bloud Their furie is kindled against us not as we are sinfull men but as men ingaged in the defence of the true Religion and panting after a right Reformation And if once the Lord deliver us as a prey into their teeth Oh the darknesse and horrour the bondage slavery and persecution which all who will not receive the marke of the beast are like to be wrapped in in these three wofull Kingdomes And not here only but they are like to attempt the same in all the Reformed Churches in Europe Your own thoughts can easily suggested unto you with what rage the beast which came out of the bottomlesse pit the woman who hath thus long drunk the bloud of the Saints is filled now before her utter destruction against that Virgin Company that follow the Lamb. The Church and Kingdome of Scotland have been willing and readie by all good means to quench this unnaturall fire They have sent their humble Supplications Remonstrances and Declarations to his Majesty And at last made offer of their humble Mediation and Nationall intercession for a Pacification All which being refused rejected they have entered into a mutuall League and Covenant with the Church and Kingdome of England and have resolved to joyne in Armes with their Brethren for their assistance and deliverance for the preservation of their own Religion and of themselves from the mercilesse cruelty of the common enemy and so farre as in them lyeth for the safety of their native King and his Kingdomes from destruction and desolation as is more largely expressed in their publick Declaration and in the Solemne League and Covenant of the three Kingdomes which will give full satisfaction to all the wise and well-affected concerning their intentions They have also according to the desire of the honourable Houses of Parliament sent us their Commissioners hither for uniformity of Religion in the Churches of both Kingdoms And we their Commissioners do exceedingly rejoyce to behold the foundation of the House of God not only in doctrine but Church-government laid before our eyes in a reverend Assembly of so wise learned and godly Divines And find our selves bound in all Christian duty but especially by the late Solemne League and Covenant of both Kingdoms wherein we are so deeply interessed and ingaged to joyne in representing to the reformed Churches abroad the true condition of affaires here against all mis-informations and mistakings And now deare Brethren in this extreame danger threatning us all what are the things we can beg of you But that first you vvould judge aright of our afflicted condition of our innocency and integrity in this our just defence If our enemies every where calumniate us that we be risen up in rebellion against our Soveraigne to deprive him of his just power and greatnesse and endevour to bring Anarchy and confusion into the Church of Christ from these foule and false asperations our intentions fully and clearly set forth in our solemne League and Covenant the copy whereof we here withall humbly present you we doubt not will sufficiently cleare us But if these children of Beliall have unjustly stirred up our Soveraigne against us and by abusing his Majesties name and Authority are labouring to keepe themselves from deserved punishment of their former crimes which the supreme Judicatories of the Kingdom went about to inflict upon them and to deprive us of our lives Liberties Priviledges and especially of our Religion And that our defensive Arms are by us used and intended only to preserve our selves from their unjust violence which hath often been the condition of many of your selves Let the righteous Lord judge between us and them whom we implore to helpe us no further then we can plead these things in sincerity before him And let our deare Brethren to whom these Letters are addressed acquite our innocency in their hearts and make their Apologie for us in all their Churches Secondly that yee will sympathize with us as brethren who suffer in and for the same cause wherein your selves have beene oppressed which will be a little refreshing to our morning spirits when we shall know that our God who smites us yet inclines the hearts of his beloved Churches to looke upon us with compassionate bowells as judging us to be the servants of their own God and Saviour Jesus Christ and as remembring themselves to be in the body Thirdly and lastly That as all the Antichristian faction ownes the cause of our Adversaries as their own and contributes what lyes in their power every way to their helpe and our ruine So that you would imbrace our condition as your own common cause wherein if we be once swallowed up your selves are not like long to escape the quarrell of the enemy being not so much against the persons of men as against the power of Godlinesse and Purity of Gods word wherever it is professed The way and maner of your owning us we leave wholly to your selves Except this one particular which we must importunatly crave even your fervent prayers both publicke and private That God who heareth prayer now he hath humbled us and broken all our Armes of Flesh whereon alas we have been too prone to leane would himselfe bring salvation to us that the blessings of truth and peace might-rest upon us that these three Nations may be joyned as one stick in the hand of the Lord and that we our selves contemptible builders called to repaire the House of God in a troublesome time beeing ashamed of our former pollutions may see the paterne of this House and commend such a platforme to our Zorobabells as may be most agreeing to his own sacred word nearest conformity to the best Reformed Churches and greatest uniformity amongst our selves that all mountains may become plaines before them and us that then all who now see the plummet in our hands may also behold the Top stone set upon the head of the Lords house amongst us and may help us with shouting to cry Grace Grace unto it And thus much we have beene willed to Informe you of Reverend Brethren and by you all faithfull Christians under your Charges by the Honourable House of Commons In whose name and in our own we bid you heartily farewell in the Lord. Your most affectionately devoted Brethren in Christ Jo. Maitland A. Johnston Alex. Henderson Sam. Rutherfurd Rob. Bailyie Geo. Gillespie Comissioners of the Church of Scotland William Twisse Prolocutor Cornel. Burges Assessor Jo. white Assessor Henry Robrough Scribe Adoniram Byfield Scribe THE SEVERALL INSCRIPTIONS To the Reformed CHVRCHES Zealand To the Reverend and Learned Pastors and Elders of the Classes and Churches of the province of Zealand our much Honoured Brethren Holland To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Classes and Churches of the Province of Holland our much Honoured Brethren East-Holland To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Classes and Churches of East-Holland our much Honoured Brethren Gerderland To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Classes and Churches of the Province of Gelderland our much honoured Brethren Over Ysell To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Classes and Churches of the province of Over Ysell our much honoured Brethren Utrecht To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Classes and Churches of the province of Utrecht our much Honoured Brethren Frizeland To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Classes and Churches of the province of Frizeland our much honoured Brethren Groningin To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Classes and Churches of the Province and City of Groningen our much honoured Brethren Geneva To the Reverend and learned Pastors Elders of the Church in the City and Republick of Geneva our much honoured Brethren Berne To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Churches of Berne our much honoured Brethren Zurich To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Churches of Zurich our much honoured Brethren Bazell To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Churches of Bazell our much honoured Brethren Schaf hausen To the Reverend and learned Pastors and elders of the Churches of Schaf hausen our much honoured Brethren Paris To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Church which is at Paris our much honoured Brethren Hessen To the Reverend and learned pastors and Elders of the Classes and Churches of Hessen our much honoured Brethen Anhalt To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Classes and Churches of Anhalt our much honoured Brethren Hanaw To the Reverend and learned Pastors and Elders of the Churches of Hanaw our much honoured Brethren FINIS

Service Rites and Ceremonies and a book of Canons To which when the pietie and zeale of that nation vvould not submit they prevailed alas with his Majestie to proclaime them Rebels and Traitors and to raise a formidable army against them to which all the Papists and popishly affected did professedly contribute their best assistance And certainly had not the Lord by his blessing upon the Scotish Army by the manifestation and acknowledgement of the wrongs done them by the calling of this Parliament and their godly care to cleare the innocency of their Brethren and by the Treatie of Peace concluded betwixt the two Kingdomes prevented it the two Nations long since through the treachery and rage of these brutish men had beene embrewing their hands in each others bloud But though through the goodnesse of God and his blessing upon the publicke Councels and proceedings of both Nations of England and Scotland they were more closely mutually conjoyned and the Lord had raised up such a spirit throughout this whole Kingdome to mourne after the Lord to lament our backslidings and to desire a perfect Reformation and had so inclined the hearts of the honourable Senators conveened in Parliament to repaire the House of the Lord among us that vve verily hoped our winter to bee past and the time of our refreshing and healing to bee come yet Alas we finde it to be cleane otherwise Our God who before was a moth and rottennesse is now turned unto a Lyon to us Wee know our sins have deserved all and if we all dye and perish yet the Lord is righteous to his hand we submit and to him alone we desire to look for healing Howbeit the instruments of these new miseries are the same Antichristian faction Who have beene so farre from being discouraged or giving over their former designe by their want of successe in Scotland or in beholding the fixed resolution of the Parliament here for Reformation that their rage and diligence therein is more increased since the beginning of the Parliament then at any time before And indeed have more prevailed both by stirring up a bloody Rebellion in Ireland wherein as the Papists themselves boast they have destroyed above a hundred thousand Protestants in one Province within a few moneths And in England by alienating the heart of his Majesty from his Parliament which had begun to call many of them to account for their former mischiefes And after an attempt to surprize some Members of both Houses in an hostile manner prevailing with his Majesty to with-draw himselfe from the Parliament and to raise an Army which at first pretended onely to bee made up of Protestants But the Papists knew their intents who both here and beyond the Seas had frequent prayers for the good successe of this great work intended in England for the advencing of the Catholick Cause and spared not in England to boast that they were not to appeare untill many Protestants were ingaged so farre that they might not start backe and then they were to own it which accordingly is come to passe For when once many seeming protestants were ingaged upon pretence of the Kings Prerogative and Priviledges of Parliament and Protestant Religion which protestants yet for the most part were the same who before the beginning of these stirres had been by the publick Judicatory of the Kingdome impeached of Treason Oppression and other high crimes and misdemeanors and other who knew themselves guilty thereof and other currupt parties of the Clergy and their adherents presently the papists who before were spared from all plunder and violence where ever the Kings Forces came though many Protestants who even held not for the Parliament were rifled were armed by Commission from the King and promise of repayment for their Arms if they were lost Many great Papists being put into places of Command in severall parts of the kingdome and the body of all the Papists joyning with all their might and professing and exercising their Religion even by publike Masses in divers parts of the Realme And thus asisted with ammunition Men and Money from other parts deluded by their faire glosses and and pretences they go up and down plunder and murder spoile all such as adhere to the Parliament and cause of Religion And although when the Parliament saw that these wicked instruments prevailed with the King to raise force to be protected frome the justice of the Laws which the Parliament went about to inflict upon them for their former Treasons and other high crimes and to accomplish their former designes they indeavoured to secure the Forts and Navy provide meanes for the defence of themselves and of Laws Liberties and Religion all which these men in devoured to destroy Yet such hath been their cunning by false glosses to hide their own intention and to seduce others Or rather such is the righteous judgement of our now angry God for our abuse of our long peace that wee have not yet been able by Supplications Petitions and Remonstrances to recover his Majesty out of their hands or to bring these men to deserved punishments but the sword rageth almost in every corner of this wofull land And to m●●e up our misery to the full they have now at last prevailed with his Majesty so farre to own the bloody Rebels in Ireland as not onely to call them his Roman-Catholick Subjects now in Armes c. but even to grant them a Cessation for a yeare when they were brought into great extremity and to hold what they have gotten liberty to strengthen themselves with Men Money Armes Ammunition from any place freedome to send or come to his Majesty and thereby bee not onely inabled to destroy the remnant of the protestants there but to come over hither as many of them are already to act the same but cheries upon us as they have hitherto exercised upon our miserable and distressed Brethren among themselves In these deplorable calamities are wee involved and in the midst of these troublesome times have the honorable Houses of Parliament called this Assembly to give them our best Counsell for the Reformation of the Church for the purging and preserving of Religion and require us to make Gods Word only our Rule and to indeavour the nearest conformity to the best Reformed Churches and uniformity in all the Churches of the three Kingdomes And in this work wee are now exercised though the enemy hath stirred up the heart of our deare and dread Soveraigne against us also Yet through the good hand of God upon us we have made some comfortable beginnings The work is his who commands us not to despise the day of small things Thus Reverend and Deare Brethren we have given you the face or rather the shadow for what words are able to expresse the face of our miserable condition in England Our civill Liberties in danger to be lost our goods spoiled our houses plundered our bloud powred out in every corner things though otherwise very precious