Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	bishop_n	king_n	power_n	4,568	5	4.9588	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A31183	The Case of the sheriffs for the year 1682, or, The third years paper in regard to the act for corporations being the case also of the dissenting ministers in regard to the act of Oxford : in a second and third sheet, together with the first revised, strengthened and reprinted ...		1682 (1682)	Wing C1164; ESTC R18154	25,181	37

such Matters must be excepted But as for any Matters Established by Law that belong only to the Administration there is no Exception to be apprehended when the Words are so general without any Limitation If any other Law or Statute be pleaded for putting in such Exception it must be answer'd by the Distinction offer'd There are no Matters we must say excepted by any other Statute or rather can with reason be excepted unless they belong only to the Constitution and not the Administration The Other Question is Whether the taking away any of the Authority of the Bishops and Arch-Deacons Courts their Officers Canons and the like is such an Alteration as belongs to the Administration of the Government in England that is Whether it comes within the Cognizance of a Parliament or is in their Power to do it We know that such a thing as the Changing of our Monarchy into another sort of Government were not to be proposed to Parliament being out of their Cognizance if the King and the Houses were willing to have it But do the Bishops and their Courts stand upon the same Foundation 'T is true that Magna Charta may be pleaded but Magna Charta it self is but a Law for the Administration It is beyond all doubt in the Power of the King and His Houses i. e. the Parliament to regulate the whole External Polity of the Church and so take away Diocesan Episcopacy it self if they pleased And can any one indeed question whether the taking away some Power from their Courts or some Officer belonging to them or the like which yet were to Alter the present Government fo the Church is not within their Cognizance or that this Matter is not contained in those Matters Established by Law that in general may be Altered and in case of Grievance be Petitioned for to be Altered And if this be still permitted the People according to the Statutes made in the Reign of this King then could it not be the Intent or Meaning of this Parliament that All Endeavour to Alttr the Government when any thing is grievous in the Church should be Vnlawful and when we are brought to distinguish of such an Endeavour of Alteration which is Warrantable by Law and that which is Vnwarrantable then are we come to the right Understanding of the Lawgiver's Meaning viz. That the Endeavour which they require us to abjure in the Oath is the One and not the Other This is what we say all along and stand upon it Reader lay thy Hand upon thy Heart and as thou believest this Interpretation or believest it not either Take or Forbear the Oath in the Name of God And what think we after some pause upon this of those Sheriffs and Ministers who are Conformists Are there not many of them which is before hinted Men of Reason and Conscience judicious and that fear God And in what sense judge we have the One subscribed according to the Act of Vniformity the same words which the Other swears according to the Act for Corporations It is strange the Nonconformist should make such a stand at that Sense of the Oath and Subscription proposed in this Paper as singular and doubtful which the Conformist receives as the undoubted and common Sense of the Kingdom with all the Judges and Lawyers of the Realm If they received not this Sense they would refuse them no less than we and if we received it as freely as they we should submit to them as they do In like manner for renouncing the Covenant What is it also they intend by it Is it nor this that the Covenant was an unlawful Oath and therefore binds no body But let us ask again do they think that the Covenanting to maintain the King which indeed helpt to bring him in again and the Protestant Religion and to Reform our Lives or the like things is unlawful and that therefore no Man is bound thereunto Certainly they cannot think so but the Covenanting to Change the Government or extirpate Prelacy and that without and against the Will of the King which is consequently in a way Unparliamentary this is it they judge unlawful and that such an Oath can oblige no body And is there any Nonconformist that understands himself who does herein disagree with them In the name of God then let us come to a right understanding on both sides of the Oath and of the Declaration Let the meaning of the Oath be no more than this that it is unlawful to take Armes against the King or his Authority any where exerted according to Law and that we will never go about to make any Change either in Church or State Affairs but by King and Parliament And let the meaning of the Declaration also be no more than this as in the First Sheet That there lies no Obligation upon any from the Covenant to do as they Swear it It was unlawful in its self to do so and the imposition of it was illegal And when we come to an Agreement in the sense what should hinder us but we may come also to agree in practise and do as one another If any Man indeed remains yet unsatisfied in his Conscience to do as the Conformist does it may be only because he does it we charge him notwithstanding all this which we have said to forbear But if indeed he be satisfied as to the Sense and pretends dissatisfaction in his Conscience and fear of loosing his Soul for the saving onely of his Purse we must in this Case or in this Cause rather at this season lay upon him this Charge also that in refusing his Compliance with the Law he must give an account to God for the refusing his Duty with it both to him and to his Country For our selves if our Arguments satisfy any Man and so he complies we edify that Man and not scandalize him If they do not and he forbears we do him no hurt It is a Man 's own Conscience is the Discerner to him of his Duty and he is not to regard another Mans any further than to avoid active Scandal which upon such a warning that no man follow his Example unless he be satisfied with his Reasons he does prevent as much as he can in this business We have done after one Acknowledgment That the Materials of these Sheets are borrowed very much from a Book that one of us does think he may make bold with whose design is greatly to offer such a kind of Resolution to the Conscience touching our present Impositions that both they that Conform to them and they that cannot may see reason to retain a fair Opinion of one another and to hope that neither of them do wilfully depart from is in what they do The Book was written many years but Printed onely about three since and is quoted in the Margine of the First Sheet We have reason to tell this both because that which is here offer'd may not appear to be written as some