Selected quad for the lemma: conscience_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
conscience_n	liberty_n	papist_n	protestant_n	1,212	5	9.6046	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51052	The case of the accommodation lately proposed by the Bishop of Dumblane to the non-conforming ministers examined wherein also the antient Prostasia, or, Episcopus Præses is considered, and the Solemne League and Covenant occasionally vindicat : together with a copy of the two letters herein reviewed : vvhereunto also is subjoined an appendix in ansvver to a narrative of the issue of the treaty anent accommodation.	McWard, Robert, 1633?-1687.	1671 (1671)	Wing M231; ESTC R5121	109,669	138

particular inquirie thereinto for the time do without all peradventure most convincingly redargue these weak quiblings bo●h of grosse ignorance and calumnie What shall we then say to t●e folly and bitternesse of these reproaches w●ereby this Author upon no better reason then what doth equally militat against all our general obligations either to God or man is pleased to asperse the Covenant as an hodge podge of various concernments religious and civil What Can not these thing lye easily enough together in an Oath which yet are all comprehended in the Law of God Are the Churches true Government the righteous privileges of Parliaments and liberties of the Subject and the duty of endeavouring in our place and calling that evill do●rs may be punished and the rebels purged out of the Land upon whom by the law of God the hand of all the people is commanded to be the great concernes both of Religion and Righteousnesse things either impertinent to any or in themselves incompatible Or is it because that our Author hath by confounding and trampling upon all these things and betraying at this time the Churches government unto the supremacie as formerly under the Usurpers he little regarded either the Subjects liberty● or his Prince his Authority and is known to have alwayes his pretended charity as contracted towards zealous godly protestants as dilated unto irreligious papists and prelatists polluted his own conscience and rendered it unclean that therefore even this sacred Oath is become unclean and nauseating unto him what can he reply to these things Or can he assigne us a better reason for his assertion He sayes It is hard enough for the wisest and learnedest to draw the just lines of these things and to give plain definitions of them But will it therefore follow that none but such have any concernment in or obligation to them No this were in effect an inference no lesse nay more absurd then to alledge that none are bound or may swear to maintain his Majesties authority but such as can draw the just lines of all his prerogatives or rather that none are obliged to defend his person but such as can draw his picture to the life It is therefore certain that as all men have undoubtedly an interest more or lesse remote in these matters● so they either really have or ought to have a knowledge proportionable to their ingagement thereto to which an Oath for confirmation is most properly accessory The Author add's that These things are as far from the reach of poor Country Peoples understan●ing as from the true interest of their souls And O how desirable is it that this the one thing necessary were indeed the speciall and main care of all men but to offer to confine poor Peoples knowledge and obligations to their souls interest alone with an aime so palpable to have all other things abandoned to lust and tyranny according to the great design of these adversaries against which this Covenant was ingaged in savours more of hypocrisie then true spirituality And therefore I say 1. that the true Discipline and Government of Gods House are in themselves and have been experimented to be of such important influence as to the promoving the great work and ends of the Gospel the great concern of Gods glory and wherein no doubt the interest of all souls is involved that whatever may be in this pretense of abstraction and self confinement yet he must needs be of a very Gallio temper that careth for none of these things 2. Although privileges and liberties and the punishment of Malignants have no such direct tendencie yet I am not only assured that in the then juncture of affaires their defence was of notable subservience to the preservation and reformation of Religion principally covenanted but that of themselves and as to the main of their import they are so much within the reach of the sense let be the knowledge of the meanest of men that to take them off from their concernment therein and ingagement thereto by the insinuation of their souls true interest will be judged by all ingenuous persons a very cunning and deceitful impertinencie Now from the premises that we have heard the Author concludes in these terms So that to ty them viz. the common people by a religious sacred Oath either to know all these or to contend for them blindfold without knowing them can there be instanced a greater oppression tyranny over Conscience then this c. But seeing it is most certain that the Oath doth neither tye to know all these nor yet to contend for them blindfold but being entered into from the universal feeling of all ranks of the invasions made and threatned both against Religion and Libertie did according to the nature of all such assertory and accessory Covenants only bind every on in his place and calling and sutably to that measure of knowledge which he either had or ought to have of such general and important concerns to stand to their defence against the common enemie the ignorance and insolence of this inference doth in deep astonishment only prompt me to say the Lord rebuke the O Adversarie The Lord who hath chosen this poor Church rebuke thee Is not the small remnant of the faithful as a brand pluckt out of t●e fire But behold how he wipes his mouth Certainly sayes he they who now govern in this Church cannot be charged with any thing near or like unto it No All pious holy tender souls But seing I have removed the calumny the subject of the comparison I will not recriminat yet we must hear a little of the mens praise viz. That whatever they require of Intrants they neither require subscriptions nor Oaths of Ministe●s already entered far lesse of the whole People But 1. Seing there can be no solid distinguishing reason given for this practice we must conclude Policy to be the only motive of this pretended moderation 2. The Oath with the Act 1612. prescribed to be taken of Intrants is so plainly and truely chargeable with a laxe dubious and insnaring generality that I am certain all the light and knowledge to be found in the most of these who conform to it will not prevent the Authors being confounded with his own argument I shall not tell you that therein they sweare to the Supremacy an infinite mysterie of iniquitie But the point wherein this Oath is really peccant in all the foul reproaches wherewith the Covenant is falsly loaded is that thereby they are bound to defend all Iurisdictions Privileges Preheminencies and Authorities granted and belonging to his Highnesse or united to his Royal Crown Whereby it is clear that they are not only obl●ged positivè to whatsoever Priviledges and Prerogatives granted and belonging to the King without the destinction of righteous or unrighteous but also without any restriction to their place callings Now not to retort the Authours impertinencies as if this Oath did tye all Intrants either to know