Selected quad for the lemma: country_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
country_n	church_n	city_n	village_n	1,374	5	10.3876	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66761	Mercurius rusticus, or, A countrey messenger informing divers things worthy to be taken notice of, for the furtherance of those proceedings which concerne the publique peace and safety.	Wither, George, 1588-1667.	1643 (1643)	Wing W3171; ESTC R19091	13,618	18

become a Daughter nay a nursing Mother of this Church if she had not been left to their delusions who if it were possible would deceive the very Elect If those who had place and opportunities to have endeavoured it and as we heare had inducements to hope it might have been effected had according to their duty attempted the same And whether it is not likely that the Arch-bishop of Canterbury and the whole Prelacie are now come to this shame because they complyed with her seducers and rather confirmed her in an Idolatrous worship then assayed to inform her in the right way Thirdly Whether it be possible that a King many yeers honoured with evidences of Piety and Morality could possibly proceed as he hath done if the falshood and impiety of his evill counsellors were not vailed over with some disguises And whether though he make use of them for the present necessities he can esteem them in his private judgement bettep then Traitors or base Parasites who having been at first Zelots for the Parliament afterward left it for the wages of Ambition Or whether he can esteeme of those more then of a dog deserving the halter who being first raised by His Royall favour and long maintained by Projects and Monopolies obtained by abusing that Royall Power could desert their Advancer and comply with the Parliament to avoid their censures and afterward againe when they saw the Parliament eclipsed could basely creep and insinuate back into his Bosome whom they had forsaken Fourthly Protestants and Papists being so exasperated against each other and the Papists having begun a bloody Massacre in Ireland which the Tenets of their Religion bind them to prosecute upon all advantages whether can they ever be so reconciled as to live securely together again in these Ilands so long as they continue of different Religions And whether they will think the King out of their debt untill he hath given them leave to prop●gate their Religion at their pleasure and means to secure it in this Kingdome by power put into their hands And if hee should so doe whether Truth and Peace were then likely to be setled in these Kingdomes Fiftly Whether his Majesty be not by reason discharged from all obligations to the Papists for personall services and contributions to this war and bound in justice to punish rather then reward them for the same seeing he cannot but know both by their tenets and by those motives whereby the Queene incouraged them in her letters that they aided him for n● respect to himself if he be not totally theirs but meerly for their own ends and to continue that barbarous and murtherous project which they long since begun here lately revived in Ireland and do now prosecute throughout his Majesties dominions for the accomplishment of our generall premeditated destruction under the false colour of serving his Majesty and promoting his Priviledges The last Question of theirs which I will trouble you withall is If we suffer the policies of Antichrist for the continuation of his mistery of iniquity thus to divide the body from the head the King from the Parliament the Court from the City the City from the Country the Nobles from the Commons the Commons from themselves yea to divide the Church the State every Province every County every City every Village every Family and many individuall persons in their own judgements whether this be not or will not be shortly such a divided kingdome as cannot long stand without Gods miraculous aid and our more serious working with him And whether will not the children of Babel seek to repaire again her decayes by the ruines of our British Churches And whether it be not required of us and high time for us to be reconciled to God and to each other that we may hasten the fullfilling of his decree concerning the whore the malignant City the false Prophet the Beast and do that to them which they purpose to us and have already begun to doe in Ireland with unexampled cruelty even to beat or banish them who will not forsake their abominations out of these Islands that Babylon may vanish and the new Jerusalem come down amongst us How these questions are to be voted upon let every one consider and resolve by himself according to his discretion Perchance there be some who are desirous to here what opinion we have in the Country touching the nationall covenant lately tendred and perhaps also the knowledge thereof may be to some purpose You shall hereby understand therefore that not onely all men well affected to the Parliament but every other reasonable man also in these Counties where this Mercurie hath been thus conceives of the said Covenant First That it tends to the strengthning of that nationall union which is now made betwixt us and the Scots and the want of which was an occasion of much blood-shed in this Island many ages together Secondly That it conduceth to that unity and conformity throughout all the reformed Churches which may by Gods blessing settle Christian peace prevent the future increase of heresies and schismes hitherto multiplied amongst us help to preserve truth in purity against the incroachments of popery and superstition and further the overthrowes of Antichrist Fourthly That it will help secure unto us our just rights and priviledges with the preservation of his Majesties person honour and lawfull prerogatives against Traitors Flatterers Tirants and Oppressors Fiftly That it ingageth us to a speedy repentance of those sins which have brought on us the present plagues and to the amendment of our lives also for the time to come 6. They hold it agreeable to the practise of the ancient Churches of God who when such occasions were made covenants to the like effect by Divine approbation as their covenants recorded in holy writ may testifie And the opinion of those among them whose judgement is not to be despised is this that whosoever willfully refuses this covenant deserveth to be reputed an enemy to all that is good to be chastised by all the miseries attending division and discord and to be deprived of every good effect which it may produce hereafter for the present to be denied the vse of those good things which they possesse among us and to be judged unworthy to continue in this land or to partake of this ayre any longer Of the like opinion is this Mercurie who among many other observations in his rustick preambulations had these two which I thought not impertinently divulged at this time One is that they who would seeme to have the tenderest consciences in this cause betwixt the King and Parliament and who usually colour their opposing the Parliament by pretending a conscionable obedience to all the Kings commands are they if we may judge them by their former conversation and present course of life who make little conscience of that or of any sin else As if for making no conscience of breaking such lawes as were once written in their hearts

of saving charges which considering the chances of War are uncertain may so fall out that it may be the breaking of the Associated Forces the losse of some part of the Countrey for the time or the indangering of all and therefore it is desired by the well-affected in those Counties that deluding Propositions tending to such purposes may be well observed by the Associaters in their meetings and discreetly prevented And now I think on it the mention of this Association brings to mind somewhat which a souldier in one of those Counties made me acquainted withall of his opinion touching the same which I will here insert because perchance some may advise worse If it be not worth heeding it shall cost but the reading If it be considerable the benefit of it may by this meanes be taken though he should not be called to counsell in that Association His opinion was briefly thus and these are his own words First that considering the present necessity there should be no delay in establishing that Association lest they who diligently meet and talk much that nothing may be concluded lose that opportunity which is yet remaining and must be suddenly caught Secondly before the main work shall be compleatly resolved on which will require more time he would that those Forces which are in readinesse in those foure Counties reserving a small power to watch over the Malignants in Kent and Suffex should immediately march to Farnham Castle making that their Rendevouz and place of refuge to retreat unto when any unequall power should march against them as also to be a refreshing place for the weak and tired and a Nurserie out of which the Association should be still supplyed with disciplin'd men At Farnham he would not have them stay longer then for a dayes rest or so long as the ordering of other pertinent affaires might require and that then they should remove to Odiham or Alton in Hamsheire the furthest not being much above two houres march there to setle or move up and down to live upon those that must maintaine the enemies garison at Basing and to gather from them their impositions so far into the country as they may adventure till the assotiated body is compleated that as usually we have done we put not the State to as much charge during the time of preparations as would with good husbandry beare the expences of the whole expedition As they grew stronger he would have them dayly march farther even to the walls of the adversaries garrisons labouring continually by their scouts or by hiring the country people or insinuating with them to gaine intelligence of such things as might conduce to their own security and the disadvantage of the foe every day so visiting some or other of the neighbouring villages that their adversaries might be furnished with no considerable aids or supplies By which means by that time the body of the assotiated forces were compleated the foxes of those burroughes would be much streightned and the southerne parts of Hamshire seeing their inmates awed shall be won by fear or love to hasten their assent and contributions to the said assotiation perhaps before the said assotiation is fully setled during which interim many disadvantages may else befall us the enemies quarters being some and some gained their garrison may be taken or well prepared for taking without a winter seige which may else lose us more men money and time then we would willingly spare When the associated brigade is made up he would not have it as some have proiected kept in one or in several bodies in the several associated counties for that as experience hath taught us would prove rather an oppression then a defence unto them But he rather adviseth that they should march into those parts of Hamshire which either will not or dare not associate leaving behinde them Kont Surry and Sussex as secured sufficiently by Farnham garison by the watch afore mentioned to be set over them and by that readines which the associated counties will be alwayes in to returne upon any emergent occasion By this course they shall not grieve or burthen their friends by being continually billeted upon them nor discourage or disable them in contributing to their pay Besides they shall by makeing the seat of war without the association give the plough peaceable passage at home disturbe their adversaries reicevers and confederates abrode and dayly inlarge their own quarters Yea by thus proceeding the associators shall have means to augment their forces if there be cause with lesse charge for God assisting these endeavours the next bordering sheire wil shortly petition to unite it selfe to them to prevent being the seat of war and so the next and the next till all come in For that expedition he would have scouts intelligencers and spies chosen out by good advise from among the stoutest and most witty of the well-affected who are of quality for such an employment and would have them punished and disgraced for their falshood and rewarded for dilligence and considerable services according to their merrits that incouragements from others as well as their own consciences and interests might make them indeavour the more For these are the nimble and sure hinges upon which their forces must move forward and backward shut and open as there is cause And it is through want of these that we have been so lame in our late executions None of these should be a common Trooper or Dragoneer but men set apart meerly for that service because we can neither confidently rely on men casually set forth neither can they or their horses performe such services as they ought to do who are tired with other duties and brought off and on at adventure upon a suddaine And were he to select a Brigade of such a number as the associators have resolved on which as he hears shall be 1200 horse and 800 dragoneers he should chuse rather 800 horse and 1200 dragoners for that service because horse are not onely a greater charge and more hardly raised but lesse serviceable and in some places and cases not serviceable at all yea perhaps 800 horse 800 dragoneers and 400 musketiers may do better service then they if in lieu of charge saved by that change so much might be added in engines to secure a passage in galtrapes swedes feathers shovels spades and pilteaxes which three last mentioned though now slighted are the security of Armies and such as the most famous Souldiers of the world made great use of He mentioned somewhat also of having a certaine number of fire locks in steed of muskets for night services Ambuscadoes and other such like occasions pertinent to the same designe and of many other things of which some are not to be revealed untill there be opportunity to put them in execution and the rest are over-many to be recited here Of this or of some other good course to be seriously prosecuted for the strengthning of our hands