Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	argument_n	church_n	true_a	3,989	5	6.0294	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A88228	The opressed mans opressions declared: or, An epistle written by Lieut. Col. John Lilburn, prerogative prisoner (by the illegall and arbitrary authority of the House of Lords) in the Tower of London, to Col. Francis West, Lieutenant thereof: in which the opressing cruelty of all the gaolers of England is declared, and particularly the Lieutenant of the Tower. As also, there is thrown unto Tho. Edwards, the author of the 3 vlcerous Gangrænes, a bone or two to pick: in which also, divers other things are handled, of speciall concernment to the present times.	Lilburne, John, 1614?-1657.	1647 (1647)	Wing L2149A; Thomason E373_1; ESTC R201322	33,049	40

other cause but for standing for the Fundamentall Lawes of England which if he had not an absolute desire to be notoriously forsworn he might know his Covenant binds him to doe the same But seeing he there playes the simple man to fight with his own shadow and doth not in the least meddle for any thing I can perceive by so much as I have read of his Book which so near as I could find was every place where I was mentioned with the Statutes and other Legall Authorities as I cite in my wives petition and else-where to prove That all the Commoners of England ought in all criminall cases to be tryed by their Peeres that is Equals and that the House of Lords in the least are not the Peeres of Commoners And therefore seeing seemingly by that ulcerous book he hath given me something to answer that concerns me I will really and substantially give him something to answer that in good earnest concerneth him and all the rest of his bloody-minded pretended reformed fellow-Clergy Presbyters that lying deceitfull forsworn and bloody Sect of whom it is true that the Prophet said of the Prophets of old That they make the people to erre and bite with their teeth and cry peace and he that putteth not into their mouthes they even prepare warre against him Micah 3.5 And that at present I have to put to him to answer shall be certain Arguments which I made when I was close prisoner in irons in the Fleet against the then Episcopall Ministers of the Church of England and will serve in every particular against the present Presbyteriall Ministers and you shall find them thus laid down in the 23. page of my Book called An Answer to 9. Arguments written by T. B. and printed at London 1645. First Thtt every lawfull Pastor Bishop Minister or Officer in the visible Church of Christ ought to have a lawfull call and be lawfully chosen into his Office before he can be a true Officer in the Church of Christ Acts 1.23 24 25. 6.3.5 6. 14.23 Gal. 1.1 Heb. 5.4 But the Ministers and Officers in the Church of England as well Presbyterian as Episcopall have not a lawfull call neither are lawfully chosen to be officers in the Church of Christ See the Book of Ordination of Bishops Priests and Deacons as also the Directory and compare them with the Scripture Therefore all your Ministers are false and Antichristian Officers Rev. 9.3 and 13.2 and 16.13 Secondly the doing of those actions that belong to the execution of an Office doth not prove a man to be a lawfull Officer but a lawfull power instating him into his Office Acts. 8.4.11.19.20 and 18.24 25 26. 1 Cor. 14.29 30 31. 1 Pet. 4.10 But all the Ministers in the Church of England have nothing to prove the lawfulnesse of their standing in the Ministery but the actions of a Minister and are not in the least able to prove that they are instated into their Ministery by vertue of a lawfull power and authority Therefore they are no true Ministers of Christ but false and Antichristian Ministers of Antichrist Thirdly againe in the third place upon your own grounds I frame this Argument Those that by their Ministery do not accomplish the same ends that the Ministery of the Apostles did are no true Ministers But the Ministers of the Church of England do not accomplish the same ends by their Ministery that the Ministery of the Apostles did 1 Cor. 11.2 Therefore your Ministers are no true Ministers of Iesus Christ But Gangrena one word more at present to you seeing in the 217.218 pages of your late 3. Gangrena you fall so exceeding heavie upon me and my honest Camerade Mr. Overton and say that these 2. audacious men their dareing bookes shall escape without exemplary punishment and instead thereof be countenanced and set free I do as a Minister pronouncae but I say it is as one of Sathans that the plague of God will fall upon the heads of those that are the cause of it Come Antagonist let us come to a period for I hope for all your mallice you are not yet so farre gone beyond your selfe as to desire to have me hanged or killed and then condemned and adjudged and therefore I will make you 2. faire propositions First in reference to the Lords whose Goliah and Rabshaca-like Champion you are that if you please to joyne with me in a desire to both Houses I will so far go below my selfe and my present appeale now in the House of Commons alwayes provided it may be no prejudice to the benefit I justly expect from my said appeale and joyne with you in this desire that there may be by both Houses a proportionable number thereof mutually by themselves chosen out to set openly and publickly in the painted Chamber where I will against you by the established Lawes of this Land maintaine against you and all the Lawyers you can bring this position which is absolutely the contest betwixt the Lords and me THAT THE LORDS AS A HOVSE OF PEERS HATH NO JVRISDISCTION AT ALL OVER ANY COMMONER IN ENGLAND IN ANY CRIMINALL CASE WHATSOEVER and if you will I will wholly as in reference to the contest betwixt you and me stand to the vote and abide the judgement and sentence of that very Committee whose vote upon the fore-mentioned tearmes if you will tye your selfe I will tye my selfe either actively to execute or passively to suffer and undergo it In the second place because so farre as I am able to understand your meaning in your fore-mentioned pages you would have me dealt withall as the Earle of Strafford and the Bishop of Canterbury was for indeavouring as you say with so much violence the overthrow of the three Estates and the Lawes of the Kingdome and in the stead of the fundamentall Government and constitution of this Kingdome to set up an Vtopian Anarchy of the promiscuous multitude and the lusts and uncertaine fancies of weake people for Lawes and Rules Now in regard of the distractions of the Kingdome which are many and that they might not be made wider by new bookes from either of us I shall be very willing for peace and quiets sake to joyne with you in a Petition to the House of Commons to appoint a select Committee publickly to examin all things that are a misse in your bookes and myne and to punish either or both according to Law and Iustice without partiality and I appeale to all rationall men in the world whether I have not offered fayre or no. But in regard I know not whether you will imbrace my proffer I shall speake a little more for my selfe and reduce all to these three heads First whether the Lords have by the known Law of the Land any jurisdiction of the Commons or no Secondly whether in the Parliaments own publick declarations in Mr. Prinns soveraigne power of Parliaments and in the Assemblies exhortation to the solemn legall Covenant and

that from thence-forth no person should be compelled to make any Loanes to the King against his will because such Loanes were against reason and the franchise of the Land and by other Lawes of this Realme viz 1. E. 3 6. 11. R. 2. 9. 1. R. 3. 2. it is provided That none shall be charged by any charge or imposition called a benevolence nor by such like charge by which the statutes before-mentioned and other the good lawes and statutes of this Realm your subjects have inherited this freedome that they should not be compelled to contribute to any taxe tallage aid or other like charge not set by common consent in Parliament All which the King confirmes And by the statute made this present Parliament that abolished Ship-money All and a very the particulars prayed or desired in the said Petition of Right shall from henceforth be put in execution accordingly and shall be firmly and strictly holden and observed as in the same Petition they are prayed and expressed yea in this very statute it is declared and enacted to be against Law for his Majesty upon any pretence what ever to levie money of the people of England without common consent in Parliament And truly sir let me tell you without fear or flattery that if your great Masters the Lords the true prerogative-friends of the house of Commons had any true and reall intentions to preserve the Fundamental Lawes and Liberties of England or had any time to spare to punish those that justly and groundedly infringe them and doe as much as in them lies to destroy them from their weighty employment of dividing great and vast summes of the Common-wealths money amongst themselves without either doing justice and right in the like nature to any man breathing unlesse it be themselves or some of their sons kinsmen or near friends whose principles are to serve their ends to the breadth of a haire in all they enjoyn them they would scorn to give cause to be reputed so base and unworthy as they are to deny the King the power unto whom ever and anon they give such glorious and transcendent titles unto to levie and raise money without common consent in Parliament when they allow every paltery Jaylor in England to do it at his pleasure yea and for any thing I can perceive abet and countenance him in it for they will not nor have not done all this long Parlament any man any effectuall Justice against them that have complained of them but every man is crushed and in a manner destroyed that meddles any thing to the purpose with them I pray sir tell me whether this be to keep the Solemn League and Covenant which now is made a cloak for all kind of knavery and villanie which they and you took with your hands lifted up to the most high God and swore to maintain the Fundamental Lawes and Liberties of the Kingdome But this I dare boldly tell you you never intended it as by your practises appears But sir in the second place I should desire to know of you the reason why Jaylors are so impudent and oppressive as they are and go so scot-free from punishment though often complained of as they do Truly for my part I am not able to render any more probable one then this That it may be some powerfull Parliament-man or men are sharers with them in their profits for as grose if not groser things are commonly reported yea printed of some of them See the 99 100 101 102 103 c. pages of the fore-mentioned book called Regall Tyrannie discovered and therefore must and do improve their interest and power to protect them in their knaveries and oppressions For within these few daies I was talking with an understanding knowing Gentleman that came to visit me and he told me he durst venture his life to make it evident to any rationall man in the world that there is one Goaler about this Citie that makes of his Prison above 20000 l a year and commits all manner of villanies and yet no Justice can be had against him though hee hath often and powerfully been complained against to the Parliament it self where he said he had more favour countenance and protection then the honest man that complained of him yea more then them all put all in one Now sir in the last place I come to acquaint you what monies I have paid since I came to the Tower for my Chamber-rent only the 10. of July last I came hither and you sent me to the Lodging where I am with extraordinarie strict and severe command upon my Keeper who within certain daies after I came to him demanded chamber-rent of me at a great deale higher rate then I pay and I told him necessitie had no law and I therefore desired him to ask me reasonably and he should see what I would say to him So at last he asked me 15. s a week I told him I knew well the lawes of all Prisons in England and 15. s a week was a great deale of money for bare Lodging but in regard it was with me as it was conditionally that hee for his part would use me and those my friends that should come to to see me with civilitie and humanitie I would give him 15. s a week and find my own linnen besides protesting unto him that the first time he used me or any that came to see me churlishly I would not pay him one peny more of money and I must ingenuously confesse I have no cause in the least to complain of the man in point of civilitie nor he of me in performing my promise for I have paid him though it hath been with some straights to me betwixt 20. and 30. l which I am now able no longer to pay And therefore I desire you according to your duty which by law you are bound unto to provide me a prison gratis for I professe unto you no more rent I can nor will pay though it cost me a dungeon or as bad for my pains And truly Sir I shall deale ingeniously with you and give you the true reason wherefore I condescended to pay chamber-rent at first and have done it so long It was because I had extraordinary potent adversaries to deale withall viz. the House of Lords or Peeres as they are called who had pretty-well managed their dealings with me like tyrants in keeping very strictly my friends from me and also pen ink and paper that so I was debarred of all ability in the world to publish to the view of the whole kingdome my own innocency and their inhumane and barbarous tyranny which they knew well enough I would doe if I had not been debarred of all meanes to doe it and then fell upon me and transcendently sentenced me to pay 4000. l c. and illegally and unjustly entred notorious crimes against me in their records And you know I told you at my first comming to the Tower I was refreshed at