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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	act_n	engagement_n	great_a	24	3	2.1033	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86729	Digitus testium, or A dreadful alarm to the vvhole kingdom, especially the Lord Major, the aldermen, and the Common-Councel of the City of London. Or a short discourse of the excellency of Englands lawes and religion. Together, with the antiquity of both, and the famous Kings that England hath had to defend both the religion and the laws against the heathen Romish emperours, and against the Romish power, under Popes. With the several plots the Popes of Rome have used against the Kings of England, to throwe them down, and how of late he hath prevailed against the magistracy and ministery of England, his new designes, and manner of progress: together, with a serious view of the new oath or ingagement, with 22. queries upon the same. And also objections made against the non-subscribers thereof answered. Let the ingenuous reader take so much pains, as to read that incomparable peece of vindication of a treatise of monarchy by way of discovery of three main points thereof.	Hall, Henry, d. 1680, attributed name.; Hall, Edmund, 1619 or 20-1687, attributed name.	1651 (1651)	Wing H339A; Thomason E621_13; ESTC R206419	34,005	37

single person whose deserts and worth they conceive is such as they resolve to make him sole Governor and so set up Monarchy again whether we are bound by this Engagement to resist them 18. Do we engage to the present Power absolutely or conditionally If this or any other Representative shall Tyrannize and invade the peoples Estates or take away propriety which are things that cannot be authoritative acts because the people having no such power themselves cannot give it to others seeing there is no power but what 's derived from Gods who hath given none to do evil are we in this case bound to continue our faithfulness 19. If the people shall find that this present House or any other hereafter hath forfeited their Trust or been guilty of the fore mentioned Crimes may they not recall that their Trust and exclude them from Government 20. Or if any of us be members of the Army and the said Army shall hereafter judg that this House hath been so guilty and shall exclude some and banish others and behead others for so the Powers as now established stand and so we understand as now established do we break the Engagement if we joyn with the Army in so doing or should we resist them 21. If this minor part of this present House or any succeeding shall judg that the whole is in danger by a corrupt majority and having strength thereunto shall exclude them do they break the Engagement or we if we further them in it 22. If one part of the People or Army shall judg that this or any future Representative hath been this Trust and the other part judg otherwise which must we adhere to according to this Engagement When the Authors of this Engagement shall clearly and fully resolve these Doubts and give national and satisfactory Answer to these Queries they will in great measure satisfie the Kingdom at leastwise the more rational part of them and much more dispose them to engage for the good of the Kingdom until then we could heartily wish that Mr Dury and such vain Bablers who most grosly abuse and misapply Scripture and other Moral Rules might be refrained from vometing up in the publique view such indigested Crudities to the scandal of the English Nation and reproach of the Protestants throughout the world We do profess when the lawfulness of the Authority that imposeth it shall be made out clear to us and our Doubts fully resolved with the manifesting of the Iustice Goodness and Necessity of this Engagement we speak it seriously and unfeignedly there shall none more willingly nor readily then our selves subscribe it until then we cannot but think the pressing of the Engagement and the punishing the Non-Subscribers with with such intollerable punishments as the exposing their Estates and persons to open violence such on enslaving irrational and destructive Act against the Protestants of England as since the planting of the Gospel in this Kingdom until this day the like destructive Act can scarce be found It enslaves the Souls as well as the bodies of men for what greater snare can there be to the Conscience then to be inforced to engage to they know not whom 2. To they know not what All the light that is in it is that it plainly tells a man that subscribes it that he swears point blank against his Oath of Allegiance his Protestation and his Covenant all which engage him to maintain King and Lords this engageth him against King and Lords in the bare words Object It is said by the most learned of the Engagers That the taking of this Engagement is no breach of the Covenant because the Covenant obligeth no longer then there is a possibility of keeping it but King and Lords being taken away there is no possibility of maintaining that that is not Sol. But we humbly conceive under favor that this Argument is no way satisfactory For though it be granted that 't is impossible for a Covenanter to maintain King and Lords when they are thrown down yet 't is not impossible for him in his calling and place to maintain Kingly Government As it is impossible for the son to yield actual obedience to the father whom Theeves and Robbers have murthered yet 't is possible for that son to express his fillial affection that he bore to his father and his real intentions of preserving his father by exclaiming against the Malefactors and using all lawful means to bring such men to condign punishment and utterly shunning all compliance with them Put the case a company of hired servants in a family should conspire to kill the Master of the family or imprison him and seize on the wealth and estate of their Master divide it amongst them proclaim themselves Lords and Masters of the family command the children to yield obedience to them though the children are not able to resist them nor yield that obedidence for the present which is due to their father nor the wife express that conjugal love by reason of the violent restrant and separation yet it is possible for the wife to abhor the company and disclaim the authority of those servants not to own them for her lord nor submit unto them nor be confederate with them though she cannot for the present enjoy her husband and so for the children though they cannot possibly love as their father yet they may disclaim the power that abused their father pray for his restoring and abhor compliance with that party that so presumptuously and wickedly threw down their father This they may do and are bound to do by the Law of Nature as children to a father and to do the contrary as to be confederate with those that destroyed their father were unnatural wickedness and a meer Conspiracy notwithstanding their father were not then in being Rex pater patriae 2 We affirm That the Kings Title is now on foot and the Lords in being therefore there is a possibility of keeping the Covenant now Can any created much less usurped Power free us from our Oath which we made to maintain King Lords and Commons Religion Liberty and the Peace and Union of the Kingdom and never to be drawn directly or indirectly by any Combination Perswasion or Terror to be divided from this blessed Union and Conjunction whether to make defection to the conteary part or give our selves to a detestable nutrarity or indiffterency but all the days of our lives zealously and constantly continue therein against all opposition This clause of the Covenant seems to be made purposely against the Powers now in Command And do they imagine that men of Conscience or Honour will so foully blur their Profession and Reputation and endanger their Souls by a contrary Subscription Ashcam tells us That usurped Powers are so notwithstanding theyout and succeed another generation We would fain know whether subscribing this Engagement be not an acknowledging of the present Power sitting to be the Supream Authority of the Nation and consequently

Digitus Testium OR A DREADFUL ALARM TO THE VVHOLE KINGDOM ESPECIALLY The Lord Major the Aldermen and the Common-Councel of the City of LONDON OR A SHORT Discourse of the excellency of Englands LAWES and RELIGION TOGETHER With the antiquity of both and the famous Kings that England hath had to defend both the Religion and the Laws against the Heathen Romish Emperours and against the Romish Power under Popes WITH The several Plots the Popes of Rome have used against the Kings of England to throwe them down and how of late he hath prevailed against the Magistracy and Ministery of England his new designes and manner of Progress TOGETHER With a serious view of the new Oath or Ingagement with 22. Queries upon the same And also Objections made against the non-subscribers thereof answered Let the ingenuous Reader take so much pains as to read that incomparable peece of vindication of a Treatise of Monarchy by way of discovery of three main points thereof LONDON Printed in the Year MDCL To the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of the City of London My LORD YOur eminency for the Profession of Religion and the lawfulness of your Office only invites us to dedicate these our papers to you not that they so much expect your protection as intend your instruction they only beg your serious perusal which may prove a happy corasive or otherwise leave you excuseless your Lordship certainly knowes that this day Michael and his Angels and the Devil and his Angels are in fight and the Dragon seemes to have got the better Now at such a time as it is a sin accursed with a bitter curse to stand a newter for 't is a seavenfold more accursed sin to fall from Michael and fight on the Dragons side if he that loves not the Lord Jesus shall be cursed with a bitter curse what shall befall that Professer who hateth the Lord Jesus and persecutes him in his Members Certainly that mans sin comes near to the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost The World may read his name written in Hell in great Characters the sin against the Holy Ghost may be committed in one Act it is a sin frequently committed in this age in England by Professors as there are certain straits in the narrow way to Heaven as repentance and self denial the which if a man passe he shall never fall away so there are certain precipices in the broad way to Hell the which if a man passe he shall never be able to return again though he heartily desire it Cain passed this precipice and Judas in betraying his Master and Esau in selling his Birth-right for pottage we are far from charging your Lordship as we are free from acquitting the men of these times of these damnable sins let God and your Conscience condemn or acquit you before whom ere long you must appear our design is only to unbowel that little bigbellied Viper of the Romish Conclaves hatching the Ingagement which like the Trojan Horse hath concealed in the belly of it the ruine of lawful Magistracy lawful Ministery and the lawful reformed Religion your Lordship knowes full well that these are three precious Jewels and your Lordship cannot but know as well if you please that this Ingagement is the designed ruine of them all How sad a progress it hath made already the sincere Protestants of the three Kingdoms to their sorrow know long since it hath been the design and endeavour of our inveterate enemy the Pope to extirpate Protestant Magistracy and Ministery but they never could effect it until this day and that principally by this Ingagement is not the Protestant race of Kings utterly banished this Kingdom by this Ingagement and are not all the Protestant Ministers now about to be turned with their Wives and Children out of their Estates and dwelling-Houses and banished at the pleasure of their tormenters and all by this Ingagement My Lord We beseech you to consider what Ministers they are that are persecuted for what and by whom they are persecuted your Conscience tells you my Lord that they are the Orthodox grave learned sincere zealous Ministery of England that by this Ingagement are persecuted and for what but only because they will not forsake a good Conscience and a just cause that Covenant Cause which they ingaged in which they must do in taking the Ingagement and that the contrivers of the Ingagement knew full well and for that end contrived it And who are they that put this in execution but they that entred into the same Covenant with us that pretended the same cause those whom we have with the hazard of our lives Estates and all we have preserved from ruine and been the cause of their promotion even those who make Lawes for our ruine these men out-law us these men sequestrate and imprison us these take away our Birth-rights from us and which is worst of all these are now about to banish our Ministery who have alwayes been our comfort and incouragement in times of affliction Woe unto us were ever poor Protestants so miserably deluded or were there ever such notorious grosse Hypocrites Apostate Pasters in the world are these the Saints that cryed out against persecution of tender Consciences is this the year of our liberty so much boasted of by many is this the removing of the yoak of oppression and Tyranny is this the year of throwing down Antichrist and propagating the Gospel of Jesus Christ when our chief Protestants both of the Parliament and City are inforced to look through prison Gates and the archest incendiaries of the Romish party are imbraced and consulted with and when our constant real zealous Covenant-keeping Ministery are they that must be banished with their Wives and Children as in the Irish Rebellion and Malignants and Sectarians Jesuites and prophane Fellows suffered to enjoy their liberties we appeal to your Conscience my Lord whether this year be the year of Jubilee with the Protestants or Papists are not all Oaths penalties Lawes and Statutes taken clearly off from the Papists and is not the Ingagement only designed as a snare to catch the sincere Protestant and to bring him under sequestration banishment out-lawry and what not The righteous Lord look upon our afflictions our unheard of afflictions that our Brethren are risen up against us and hate us and persecute us with a far more hatred then our open enemies and that without a cause The Lord judge betwixt us and our enemies this day if we have dealt deceitfully in the Covenant of our God then let God search it out and bring us to ruine but if we are persecuted for holding fast to our Covenant the Lord plead our cause we can with comfort and boldness say this in the midst of our afflictions Lord thou knowest our integrity this appeal our enemies cannot make Come forth my Lord from amongst the tents of these ungodly men lest you perish with them for their folly is made known to

three Estates cannot be molested yet the instruments that he implies against Law may be tryed This Law is most agreeable to the Law of God and the Law of nature to the Law of God for Kings are the Representatives of God on earth and none can touch them we see this clear in two famous instances in Saul who could crimes have brought him under the censure of men had enough to dethrone him for he was a Tyrant a murtherer and a publick enemy to the Church and State yet David when he could have done justice upon him said God forbid for he is the Lords anointed the declared King of Israel And David that was guilty of murther and adultery both of them deserving death by the Law yet was not questioned by his Subjects because God only hath the power of punishing Kings and not man This is most agreeable to the Law of nature for if Kings should be subject to their Subjects then the order must needs be confounded and the Law of nature utterly rooted up which orders approves no further then the supreme Authority which if judged by any is not the supreme and so produceth confusion and infinition Therefore we conclude that the Laws of England are the best Laws in the World in every respect both for matter form and distribution And as for Laws so for pure Religion it is beyond all other Nations it received the Apostolick faith almost if not all out as soon as Rome that brags of its antiquity Gindas telleth us that England received the Gospel in the Apostles dayes Joseph at Armathea bringing it into the Kingdom and Origen and Turtullian tell us that it received the Gospel as soon as any Natian in Europe This we are sure that it hath retained it in its purity the longest of any Nation it had a great share in the Presevitians under the Heathen Emperours of Rome after that under the Arrian and Entichion Heresies and after that under Popus the bloudiest and cruellest enemy to the Church so that from the Apostles time till this day Christian Religion though sometimes obscured never was obliterate nor extinct in the Kingdom And as this Kingdom hath been famous for Laws and Religion above others so it hath been the famousest in the World for Religious and valiant Kings to protect it and eminent Ministers to divulge it Lucious the Son of Coilus who was King of England was the first Christian King Jesus Christ smiling upon this Nation above all others in blessing it with a righteous King which was a miracle in the World at that time Constantine the 8. King of England after Lucius who was the Son of beautiful Helea King Coil his Daughter of England whom she brought forth at York he becam Emperour of Rome conquering the Heathen Emperours with a Brittish Army and so converted Rome Heathen into Rome Christian the famousest Reformation that ever was wrought in the World so that England is famous for being the first Christian Kingdom and setting up Christian Empire English Kings having been the only great friends to true Religion in the time of Paganisme And as they were the greatest friends to Christs Church against Rome Pagan so they have been the greatest friends to the true Chucrch against Rome Antixfian for about the year 1070. when the Pope was in his full height of soverainty the Normons line succeeding the Saxons in England were the first Kings that contemned the Popes Authority William the Conqueror spit at him and Wilt Rufus who succeeded him openly spake against the Popes usurped power of binding and loosing withstanding and rejecting his intrapped fopperies declaring against the Pope the folly of invocating Saints he plucked proud Arch Bishop Anselmes nose under his Girdle in despight of the Pope and so did the royal Family of the Plantagenets The Tudors and the Stuarts got their several parts in greater degrees against the Pope as they succeeded each other So that the Normans may be said to resist the Pope the Plantagenets to grapple with the Pope the Tudors to unhorse the Pope and the Stuarts to stob the Pope King James being the first King that writ against him proved him to be Antichrist Against the Kings of England the Popes have born an old grudge and indeavoured to destroy those Kings or Queens which resisted their Authority at least 12. Treasons against Q. Elizabeth were discovered and prevented which so frustrated Pope Pius Quintus projects that it broke his heart for malice that he could not with his Bulls which with his own hands he sealed depose and dethrone the Protestant Queen for she took occasion from the Popes wickedness and the Papists treachery to extirpate Priests and Jesuites out of the Kingdom whereupon Pope Gregory 13. erected a Colledge on purpose for English Priests and Jesuites that fled from England to Rome and another at Doway which was much nearer England that they might there both frame their granadoes of Treason against the English Court and receive such persons as were succesless in their Treason and made escapes out of England Against King James besides that Treason of Warson and Clarke the prodigious Gunpowder-plot was contrived by the Papists to destroy the King the Prince the House of Lords and the House of Commons in the twinkling of an eye upon this ground because Pope Clement 8. by a Bull Commanded that the King should not be crowned without a toleration of Popery but God prevented that prodigious blowe Hereupon the King and the Parl framed the Oath of allegiance to be taken by every subject in the Kingdom 't is thus I. A. B do truly and sincerely acknowle●ge profess testifie and declare in my Conscience before God and the World that our Soveraign Lord K. James is lawful and rightful King of this Realm and of all other His Maj. Dominions and Countries and that the Pope neither of himself nor by any Authority of the Church or See of Rome or by any other means with any other hath any power of Authority to depose the King or dispose any of his Majesties Kingdoms or Dominions or to authorize any forraign Prince to invade or anoy him or his Countries or to discharge any of his subjects of the allegiance and obedience to His Majesty or to give license to any of them to bear Arms or offer any violence or hurt to His Maj. person State or Government or to any of His Maj. Subjects I do swear from my hear● that no withstanding any Declaration or excom. against the King his Heirs and Successours or any absolution of the said Subjects from their obedience I will bear faith and true Religion to His Maj. His Heirs and Successors and him and them will defend to the utmost of my power against all conspiracies and attempts whatsoever and I do detest and abhorre as impious and heretical the damnable Doctrine of the Pope that Princes may be excommunicated and deprived of their Kingdoms deposed and murthered by their

open enemies in the field and were in great hopes of setling the Protestant Religion in purity and extirpating Popery out of the 3. Kingdoms at this time the Popes Politicians were got into the Parl Army under the name of Independents from which the King fled to the Scots The King being fallen into the Covenanters hands viz. the Scottish Army the Parl made speedy and seasonable applications to him at Newcastle offering to him Articles of agreement which news was forthwith carried to Rome whereupon the Pope and the Conclave of Rome were inforced to look about and change their designes projecting new wayes by contrary proceedings to effect one and the same end for whereas they had given order to the Catholiques in Ireland before to yield all assistance to the King against the Parl Seeing now the King was under the Parl power least he and his Parl should agree and so England and Ireland be lost the Pope played aforehand game sending his Army into Ireland commanding at this time all the Cathol quests renounce their allegiance to the King of England and from that day forward the Pope and all the Romish Politicians projected how to destroy both King and Parl and destroy the Reformation by the Covenanters so far carried on both in England and Scotland The task was hard at first view to destroy a Religious Parliament a victorious Army and an able pious and zealous Clergy was no small piece of work The Romish politicions therefore were inforced to fly to their last refuge of Hypocrisie and lies and like Euphrates Frog to change both shape and colour using the violent motion of Frogs from one extream to another from the extream of Tyranny to the extream of Anarchy from the extream of holy Orders to the extream of no ordination In plain tearms the Pope and his Counsel perceiving there was no probable way to get a Toleration for Catholicks in the Kingdom of England if the King Lords and Commons agreed consulted how to throw down King Lord and Commons and Assembly of Divines together with the Protestant Ministery That the chief Engines to effect this might be placed here in England and have sure footing free from the power of the Magistrates corrective and coercive power Independency was set up which five valiant Champions of the Popes had defended in the Assembly as long as they could and being there able to stand against truth no longer like Serpents hissed for all the viperous brood of Sectarious blasphemers or any Sect to creep into their bellies Hereby Independencie that bottomlesse pit and Independent congregations the very plot designed to destroy Religion in the Nethetlands by the Pope first enacted there by Hugh Peters the Popes hyerling became as so many nurceries of Jesuite and Popish Priests and so many dens of Theeves where they framed all their picklocks opinions and devilish destructive instruments to ruin the Magistracy and the Ministery For the propagating and facilitating of this design the chief of the Romish Politicians in Europe were sent to England where they all went under the name of dissenting brethren Independents tender consciens-men and great Enemies to Antichrist crying down with Antichrist calling the Pope Anti-Christ not that they thought so but that they might hereby carry an their design of throwing down the protestant Ministery undiscovered for this to this day is their great and chief argument The Pope is Anti-christ that 's true Antichrist making Bishops Bishops are Antichristian that in some sortis true also Antichristian Bishops making and ordaining Ministers Ministers of England are Antichristians Ergo down with the Ministery of England down with these black-coats down with Baals Priests down with them there is the design and there is the end of all They onely use the Argument to put in practice the conclusion they that presse the Argument and first framed it were far from thinking the Pope to be Antichrist or Prelatical Bishop eithe onely it was framed to destroy the Covenanteeres Ministery who abhor the Pope and long since renounced him and his adherents If it be well observed Indepency was but the wooden horse with a thousand Heresies in his belly brought into the Kingdom of England by the Romish Politicians and let forth as so many furies to sly in the face of the reformed Religion For he that views the Heresies of late sprung up amongst us cannot but see that against every one of the Assemblies 33. Articles they raised contrary Heresies and could the silly English Sectarians of their own heads without the help of Jesuits and Romish Casuists do all this 't is folly to think it The late Heretical Arguments are taken out of Cas●sts how subtilly did they devise liberty of conscience meerly to get free from the Magistrate and how vehemently did they preach peace for love and meeknesse and admonishing on e another in love and being tender of giving offence to tender cousciences whereas we plainly see they had war and murther and malice in their hearts onely thereby they Iull'd asleep secure and bleer-eyed Protestants who suffered these cheates to pick their pockets while they heard them cry Gentlemen look to your purses they cried out beware of Antichrist who brough him in be good to tender consciences while they carried under their sheeps cloathing the wolves teeth to wound tender consciences withall To tell how these subtilly crept into the Army who nourished and upheld them there would be too tedious Our end i● to shew that the setting up of Indepency was the Popes design to throw down the Covenanting party in England and those that opposed the Popish Religion Out of this bottomlesse pit came all that party which first taught Rebellion against the higher powers from the dens of Independensie arose that party that lest off the Covenant professed open hatred to it and them that took it with an intent to keep it That party that raised those Heresies against the true Religion having now got power put them in practice against true Religion They that held the opinion of being free from Magistracie under the Gospel now made themselves free They that held Magistrates Tyran's ●ow having got power used them as Tyrants these guifted brethren wete now high in the Army The chief men that were aimed at were those that stood most stoutly to their Covena●t The chief Protestants both in the House of Lords the House of Common and in the C●●● of London were the men shot at impeached imprisoned persecuted banished and some 't is to be feared poisoned This party laid hold of the King imprisoned him and when the two Houses of Lords and Commons sate freely and voted a Treaty with the King and when the King had agreed to extirpate Popery and establish the Protestant Religion in his three Kingdoms and to fettle Church-Government according to the primitive constitution and when upon a free and serious debate the Lords and Commons voted the concessions of the King to be a ground