Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	according_a	church_n	religion_n	3,261	5	5.9527	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64805	Venn and his mermydons, or, The linen=draper capotted being a serious and seasonable advice to the citizens of London, occasioned by the indirect practices used in the late election of sheriffs / written by a citizen of London.	Citizen of London.	1679 (1679)	Wing V193; ESTC R38482	7,600	15

VENN AND HIS MERMYDONS OR THE Linen-Draper Capotted BEING A Serious and Seasonable Advice To the CITIZENS OF LONDON Occasioned by the Indirect Practices used in the late ELECTION of SHERIFFS Written by a Citizen of London LONDON Printed in the Year 1679. Serious and Seasonable ADVICE To the CITIZENS of LONDON c. Friends and Fellow-Citizens THe End of these few Lines is to persuade Peace which every man pretends to covet but the end is not attainable without the use means and avoiding that which is of a contrary Importance Some few things are here pointed at which have occasioned disturbance in Families hatred and animosity among Neighbours disorders in the City oppression and violence in the Nation That such things may not happen amongst us any more is the design of this Paper and shall be the constant and hearty Prayers of the Author It behooves every good Citizen to have a watchful Eye toward such Persons and Actions as would cast Scorn and Contempt upon the meanest Instrument of Government It is rare if any man be made desperately wicked at once Evil is propagated by degrees Hard thoughts of our Superiour are often followed with Hatred and after with Sedition and Rebellion great things taking their rise from small and insensible beginnings A Cloud of the bigness of a Hand spreads the face of the Heavens Thus a disobedient Servant proves a bad Master and a worse Citizen If we slacken in the least the Chain of our Duty the Devil quickly takes advantage Some men who at first detested Rebellion have laughed and talked themselves into Disobedience for which perhaps being worthily punished hath so exasperated their minds so as nothing wanted for revenge but an opportunity Others there be whose great felicity lies in hearing and telling News These are a sort of Busie-bodies and men for the most part of small imployment and as little discretion that receive all they hear especially such things as will please their Party without examining the probability of its being true or false and having heard some odd Story go big with it to the next Club where it is related with abundance of formality and if it be any thing relating to the Government it is ten to one but some Surmise or sad Descant as bad as Malice can invent is added over and above A ready way to introduce a disaffection toward those in Authority and prepare mens minds for Disobedience and Rebellion Therefore such Malapert Talkers who are always finding fault and like Flies are apt to dwell upon every Sore ought to be Brow-beaten scorned and opposed by every honest Citizen as the Bane of Society and Pests of the Commonwealth Let us all endeavour to live like Men and Christians and boldly reprove such as offer to put Affronts and Contempts upon Authority A far readier way to cure their itching Malady than by taking pleasure in their Fooleries and impertinencies Let every man in his station pursue those things that make for PEACE We are all Members of one City Subjects of one Kingdom all embarked in the same Vessel and if that suffers Shipwrack none can promise immunity to themselves In a word Let us fear God honour the King and not meddle with those that are given to change There is also another sort of men among us so well conceited as to think themselves fit to be sharers in the Government and are always complaining that something is amiss Men of petulant testy humours and factious Spirits never contented never pleased Is it not a shame to think what a foolish and ridiculous attempt was lately made to introduce an Officer among us Did they fansie the Government would be Trickt into a Sheriff What was the Man How qualified that such sinister and undue practices were used about his Election I believe but few men will bespeak him Master of any extraordinary measure of Reason Judgment or Piety As for his Estate that was granted deficient even by his own Faction as appears by their Subscriptions towards the upholding of his Grandeur Certainly They have need of a Bird that give a Great for an OWL What then Why the truth is though nothing can be more ridiculous than Empty Boldness yet this mans confident and seditious speaking which made him obnoxious to the Law hath advanced his Reputation with some men to an high rate who otherwise might have passed along unobserved Is this an Office to be carried on with Contribution Is it not one of the highest places of Trust in this great City Ought not he whoever is Elected to that dignity to be able to bear the charge without auxiliaries as well for his own security as the Cities honour For should he fail in that particular he must not onely be ruined but the Office fall lame by the way Yet this man till he saw his Party confounded offered without blushing to accept it It is an Office of that Trust as ought to be committed to the care of none but persons of known Integrity Religion and Honesty that in times of danger and disorder may keep the Peace and not encourage Sedition and Tumult one firm in his Allegiance to his Majesty and a true Protestant according to the Church of England What design these men had in offering their purses so freely toward setting up this Puppet Sheriff God and their own hearts onely know but certainly it hath an ill aspect for that during his Office he must have been Pensioner to the meanest Trades-man of his Party Some few Quakers afforded him their Votes but their frugality and principles I suppose would hardly allow them to club toward Feasting or Fine Clothes Whatsoever their end was they are not to be approved who seek to acquire good ends by bad means and in this Essay they shewed the Popish party a new device though they have already more tricks than are good by Subscriptions and Cabals to introduce some of their Favourites into places of Honour and Trust Consider the danger and inconvenience that ariseth from the multitude of Pamphlets that are published every day filled with Lies and Falshood to the dishonour of God and Religion containing base and unworthy reflections upon most men of the greatest Authority in the Nation not sparing at some turns though in cunning and canting terms the Person and Government of his Sacred Majesty Are not all publick Actions turned into Ridicule by these petty Scriblers who have hardly Bread to eat but what they receive for their Weekly Copy Do we not all know that not long since Poor Robins Intelligence was Weekly published where the Author took upon him to make a Laughing-stock of any person to whom he was prompted either by money or malice or to fill up an empty space in his Pamphlet And though he forbore to name the persons yet pointed at them by such Notes and Characters as they were easily known by any that were of the Neighbourhood to the great disturbance of Families and breach of Charity