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	pope_n	send_v	3,640	5	6.1220	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05555	The answer of John Bastvvick, Doctor of Phisicke, to the information of Sir Iohn Bancks Knight, Atturney universall In which there is a sufficient demonstration, that the prelats are invaders of the Kings prerogative royall, contemners and despisers of holy Scripture, advancers of poperie, superstition, idolatry and phophanesse: also that they abuse the Kings authoritie ...	Bastwick, John, 1593-1654.; England and Wales. Attorney-General.	1637 (1637)	STC 1568; ESTC R212826	58,859	30

the proceedings of the Prelats against himself and their dealings tovvards others of their brethren the theame of vvhich booke he the Defendent desireth the honorable Court● to take a briefe relation of at this time that they may the better be informed of the falsitie of the information And first for the principall theame and matter of the booke it is the State of the questions in his Flagello Pontificis for vvhich he suffered vvith the summe of the Arguments he produced for the confirmation of the trueth The questio●s arising betvveen the Babylonian and the defendent concerning the autoritie of the Pope were these The first whether Christ did constitute Peter sole Monarch of the Catholick Church The second vvhether the Pope of Rome if hee bee a Bishop as hee is a Bishop hath Autoritie jurisdiction over Kings Emperors Thirdlie vvhether Popish Bishops be true Bishops or no and of the discussing of these questios the defendent saith his adversarie vvas the sole cause In the handling of the which the Defenden● f●rther affirmeth that he used all the caution that vvas possible as he supposed for man to use prefacing in his booke that being to dispute about the Autority of the Bishop of Rome he desired candidly to be understood of all men● for while he disputed of Episcopall autoritie he medled nor contended not against such Bishops as ackovvledge their autoritie jurisdiction from Kings and Emperors into vvhose hands the government of States Kingdomes● and Commonvvealths is by God committed For if the Popes themselves vvould acknovvledge their immense and unlimited autoritie from Kings and Emperors he the defendent there said if they commanded nothing contrarie to the vvill and Word of God that he for his part out of the reverence duty ● loyaltie to his Prince vvould obey it The Words in the Original are these Verum de Episcoporum autoritate locutus à bonis bene intelligi cupio Non enim litis litem moveo quatenus ab Imperatoribus Regibus Principibus Terre quorum interest salutem civium tueri potestatem ●us Imperium in socios totumque Dei gregem adepti sunt Nam si Romani Episcopi imm●nsam illam nullis limitibus circumscriptam autoritatem indulgentia Principum acceptam ferrent voluntati Episcopali nihil voluntati divinae inimicum jubenti obtemperandum putem ob reverentiam Principi si volenti debitam c. So that the defendent having thus playnlie set downe his minde before knowing that all the jurisdiction that the Bishops in England now exercise over others is ●rom the King he thought himself not onely secure from danger but expected fav●ur at least from the Bishops their helping hand especially when the opposing the Popes Autority in England is a thing that the King and State have ever so well allowed of And that this honorable Court may yet be f●rther informed of the speciall cause for which the Prelats are so displeased with the defendent it was for the truely and narrowlie disputing and discussing of the second question to wit whether the Pope of Rome if he be a Bishop as he is a Bishop have Autoritie jurisdiction not onelie over his fellow breth●en but over Kings and Emperors which the Defendent there denyed for many warrantable Arguments The summe of which he desireth here to relate unto this honorable Court for his just and necessarie defence justification For by the ve●ie light of nature and unanswerable reason it is evident and manifest that where there is an equalitie and pari●ie amongst men there the one doth not exceed the other in power or Dominion Paris enim in Parem non esse imperium inter Naturae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est Novv Divine constitution hath made Bishops and Presbyters or Elders a like and equall vvhich that it might the better appeare the Defendent propounded there tvvo things to be proved The first vvas That Bishops and Presbyters vvere by the Word of God one and the same Secondlie That Presbyters had equall Autoritie of Government● Ordination Excommunication vvith Bishops vvherein onely consists their preeminency Autoritie above their brethren vvhich things being proved it vvill necessarilie follovv That the Pope of Rome as he is Bishop doth no vvay exceed other Bishops and Presbyters they being in all things a like and equall unto him much lesse hath any Autoritie and povver over Kings and Emperours And for the proofe of the first position the vvords Presbyter Bishop do sufficientlie evince i● vvhich in holy Scripture though diverse in sound signifie one and the same thing as not to cite the vvords themselves vvhich would be large The Apostle Paul to Titus in the first chapter doth sufficientlie shew vvhere the words Bishop Presbyter are confounded And likevvise in the first Epistle of Peter and the fift Chapter there Presbyter and Bishop signifie one and the same thing And the Epistl● to the Philippians the first Chapter and the ●irst verse do●h apparentlie demonstrate it● and diverse other places might be produced dilucidating the same thing But the 20● of the Acts puts all out of controversie where Presbyter and Bishop signifie one the same thing● for office● honour and function so that the identity of their office● is signifyed by those tvvo expressions Neither is there a confusion of their names with a difference still of their functions administrations as some vvould cavill for in these places vvhere Presbyters are called Bishops the disputation is not about the title but about the office signified and specified by the title For vvhen S. Paul exhorts the Presbyters to have an eye to their duty charge he useth this reason that the Holy Ghost had made them Bishops● And the trueth of ●his is so evident that the Rhemists themselves as learned men as any Bishops in England and as able to mayntayne an error are forced ingen●ouslie to confesse it saying in expresse vvords in their No●es upon the 28. vers of that Chapter That in the Apostles times there vvas no difference betvveen Presbyter and Bishop● so that for the first position it is not onely by the Word of God clearlie evident but by the very confession of the adversaries of the trueth granted as a thing without controversy Novv for proofe of the second position that Presbyters as vvell as the Bishop of Rome have the povver and right of Government Ordination and Excommunication by vvhich in these times Bishops onely exceed Presbyters the defendent vvill here brieflie demonstrat it referring those of this honorable Court that have a desire to search into the full trueth of it to his booke And for proofe that the Government vvas committed unto them and that they exercised the same it is most perspicuous out of the first of Timothie 5. vvhere the Apostle sayth The Presbyters that rule vvell are vvorthie of double honour especially those that labour in Word and Doctrine By this testimonie it is evident that they

of the Kingdome of Heaven by name are committed those are more vvorthy honorable then those tha● have not that Priviledge But for the Presbyters they have the Priviledge of the Keys granted unto them by name Ergo the Presbyters are more honorable then Bishops For the major no good Christian vvill or rationall man can deny it And for the minor he that readeth the last of Iames shall finde it manifestly enough confirmed and proved By all vvhich Arguments the Defendent did sufficiently beat dovvne the Bishop of Romes autority and by the very light of reason overthew it For if that every Presbyter be by the word of God as good a man as the Bishop of Rome if not better and vvithall if the Presbyters neither can nor may usurp autority over their fellovv brethren much lesse may they doe it over Kings and Emperors and by consequence and necessity of reson it follovve●h that the Bishop of Rome hath no cause to arrogate such autority to himselfe over the vvhole Church as he doth and therefore that his rule Government is a meere usurpation and an abominable tyranny over the vvhole Church of God and ought of all men to be defyed abominated and abhorred vvith all his complices as impious and blasphemous against God●●njuriou● to Kings Princes and nocent to all the faithfull members of Iesus Christ. The recapitulation of all the vvh●ch Arguments this Defendent thought fit to make knovvne to this honourable Court that their illustricityes might in every respect see his innocency vvho first exemted all Bishops that acknovvledge their autorityes from Kings and Emperors out of the number of those against vvhich he disputed and secondly never by name fought against any other but Romish Bishops and vvi●h their ovvne arguments vvounded them● And therefore he could not but take it unkindly that when in this combat they should have helped him against the common enimie they defending him fell upon the poore Defendent to his perdition saying that he meant ●hem and that he vvas erronious and factious in his opinions Novv if the Defendent hath erred in the discussing of these truthes the Scripture that Word of Life hath brought him to it vvhich vvere blasphemie to thinke and therefore vvhen they adjudged his booke to be burnt they might as vvell have burnt th● Scripture also yea all antiquitie and the gravest and learnedest of auncient Fathers vvhose testimonies also hee hath made publick for the greater vindication of the truth against error and cruelty But that the integritie of the defendent may yet more clearlie appeare he most humbly entreateth this Illustrious Tribunall to heare hovv the busines vvas carried against him at his Araignment before the Prelats Barre at Lambeth and hovv submissively he demeaned himself there and hovv superciliously they carried themselves towards the Defendent on the contrary side When it came to his part to speake for himselfe the Advocat having formerly denied to plead his case any farther then about the vvitnesses testimonie vvhich he also did very jejunely beeing an Advocate of such excellent parts of learning and eloquence as he vvas and also at the Bar ●enouncing i● saying That the Defendent should plead himselfe which vvhen it vvas put upon him he then first related vnto the Assemblie the Theame of the booke vvhich vvas the mayntenance of the Kings prerogative royall Then he told them the occasion of his vvriting of it that he vvas provoked thereunto by a Pontifician vvho often had dared him into the list of dispute● which a● last he could not deny as he vvas a Christian and as he vvas a Subiect for by the Word of God he told them and by the Law of the Land and his speciall oath he vvas bound unto it vvhich Oath he also read at large in open Court the vvhich also all the Bishops of England and all the Iudges of the Kingdome had taken and vvere equally bound vvith him to observe Then before he entred into the combat vvith the adversarie he shevved vvhat caution he used that being to vvrite against the Bishop of Rome Italian Bishops it vvas onely as they arrogate their au●oritie over their Brethren and the Church of God yea over Kings and Emperors jure divino against such Bishops onely hee affirmed he did dispute read the vvords of exception formerly cited at the Barre as for such Bishops as acknovvledge their jurisdiction povver and autority from Kings and Emperors he sayd he ha● no controversy against them as he there againe and againe declared himself in the number of vvhich he the Defendent sayd ours were for all the Bishops of England and in his Majst Dominions had and received or at leastvvise ought so to doe their autoritie jurisdiction over their brethren from him For proofe of vvhich he cited read publickly the Statuts and Acts of Parlament as follow First that of the first of Queene Elizabeth of famous memorie vvherein the Oath of Allegiance vvas ratifyed In the which Statute there are these words That all jurisdiction all Superiorities and all Privileges and Preminencies spirituall and temporall are annexed to the Imperiall Crovvne vvhich by Oath he being bound to mayntayn●● could doe no lesse being provoked by an adversary of regal dignity He read also the Statute vvhich was inacted in the 37. of Henrry the eight vvhich is that Archb and Bish. and all other Ecclesiasticall persons have no other Ecclesiasticall Iurisdiction but that vvhich they received and had by the King from the King and under his Royall Majest He read also the Statute made in the first of King Edward the sixt in these vvords That all jurisdiction and Autori●ie Spirituall and Temporall is derived and doth come frō the Kings Majest as supreme Head in the Churches and Kingdomes of England and Ireland and that by the Clergy of both the Kingdomes it ought no otherwise to be held or esteemed of and that all Ecclesiasticall Courts vvithin the sayd Kingdomes ought to be held and kept by no other povver and autoritie eyther domesticall or forrain then that vvhich comes from his most excellent Majestie And that vvhosoever did not acknovvledge and venerate this autoritie that the same men are ipso facto in a praemunire under the Kings high displeasure and indignation as the vvords of the Statute run and the mouth of the lavv speaks and then vvith some reason● also vvhich the Defendent produced besides the Word of God hee shevved That no Romish Bishops had autoritie over their fellovv brethren nor could jure divino challenge it much lesse over Kings and Emperors and therefore so long as the defendent had the Word of God the Lavves of the Kingdome and reason it self on his side he told them he thought himself reasonably secure from all danger in that place And then applying his speech unto the right honorable and noble Lord the Earle of Dorset then present the Defendent tolde his honour that he could not but vvonder that hee should stand

beene forced to recite because it makes very much for the justification of what hee writ in his Apology and that hee had good ground greatly to blame the Prelates aswell for these as for many other of their proceedings as afterwards this honorable Court shall well perceive And now that the Defendent may come to the things that he is charged with in the Information as to have accused the Bishops of in his Apology which by the informers is termed a Libell though it contayneth nothing but a true Narration of the passages of the High-Commission Court which he never spake nor writ against but onely against the abuses of the Iudges in it who have turned that Court which was of purpose appoynted by the State for the suppressing of Heresy● Popery and vice● to the beating downe of the Religion established by Autority and the promotion and advancement of superstition and the molestation and undoing of the Kings faithfullest Subjects and the deare servants of God as daylie experience teacheth us and the whole Kingdome can witnes In the writing of which booke he the Defendent thinketh himself so far from being a delinquent as he conceiveth he hath done good service to King Church and State having in it vindicated and mayntayned regall Autoritie against the tyranny of the Pope discovered also the Prelats lawlesse usurpations with their ungratitude to the King and cruelties again●● their brethten mayntayned the ho●our likewise of the Lawes of the Land and the dignity of sacred Writ both which they slight and make nothing of and by inn●merable testimonyes of learned men proved the assertion for which he is thus traduced and envyed to be neither novell nor hereticall but according to both the Divine Scriptures and all Antient trueth the vetustest Bishops and by the whole clergy of England in King Henry the eights day●s as all the learned and ingenuous do well perceive and know both at home and abroad So that if ●he Informers with the Prelats will make this Booke a libell then let them make holy Scripture the Lawes of the Kingdome and all the antient record● of learned Bishops libells also for the Defendent in ●hat ha●h sayd nothing concerning the Pre●bytery which is not agreeable to them all And for ●he matters in spec●all he is charged wi●h in the information Viz. That he hath causlesly enveighed against the oath ex officio and other antient formes of proceedings in that Court and against the sacred Hierarchy orders of Bishops Priests and Deacons preferring a Presbyte●ian parity before it And ●●at he hath falsly and scandalously defamed the witnesses produced against him falsly maliciously taxed the High Commission Court it self and the Iudges therein in generall and some of them particularly and pe●sonally with cruel●y and injustice with want of wisdome and temperance and that they are perswaders of his Majest to bloudshed and are upholders of idolatry superstition Popery and Prophanesse and further most maliciously and falsly affirmeth that Canterbury London and Ely are disgracers and contemners of holy Scriptures and falsly traduceth them and the rest of the Bishops for traytors and invaders of his Majest Prerogative and that in the sayd booke there are contayned diverse other unlawfull and scandalous passages against the established government and se●led discipline of the Church of England the Bishops and Clergy and their proceedings which being many and of various na●ure is delivered into his Majest● Court of Starchamber To all which things that he is here charged with the Defendent will answer with what brevi●y● and the best Method he can doubteth nothing but whatsoever he hath writ in his Apology against the Prelats their proceeding shall be made evidently appeare to this Court to be most true And to begin with the things layd to his charge in the last place that hee accuseth the Bishops to be disgracers and contemners of holy Scripture to be invaders of his Majest prerogative upholders of idolatry Poperie superstition and prophanesse All which is most true for so they are as he hath sufficientlie proved against them in that booke and doth here also add that they have greatly dishonoured the King their Master and King Iames his Father of perpetuall memory● all which he will briefly declare and demonstrat to this noble Court And that they are contemners disgracers of holy Scripture what can be more manifest when they say that the Scriptures are the refuge of all Schismaticks and Hereticks as much as if they should say ●he good Lawes and Statuts of a Kingdome and the Kings Edicts and Proclamations are the cause of all disorder and wickednes withall what is it to be contemners and disgracers of the holy Scriptures if this be not to say That they can neither be knowen to bee the Word of God nor distinguished from the Apocrypha and Prophane Authors nor be understood and the meaning of them attayned unto for their obscurity but by the Fathers If this be not to contemne sacred writ then all Or●hodox writers both in ours all reformed Churches and King Iames himself have accused the Church of Rome most falsly whom they prove blasphemous against God and disgracers of the Holy Scriptures for the same assertions as all their learned wri●ings witnes wi●h innumerable Arguments in them for proofe of the same The Defendent desireth to know what it is to prophane and contemne holy Scripture of th●s be not to slight and vily●● the autority of it and to proferre humane authority before it which the Bishops did blasphemously saying that they cou●d not be knowne to be the Word of God without the help of the Fathers when every page and leafe of those sacred monuments breath a divine Spirit and they are called the lively oracles Act. 7. vers 38. as if the Scripture had lost his ancient luster ●ife and Divinity by its antiquity were inferior to al● other things bo●h Naturall and Artificiall When notwi●h standing there is such a Maiesty and Splendor in the Scripture as it dazleth the eyes of all those that looke into it with hi● transcendent and heavenly clarity and brightnes the eyes of whose minds the God of this world hath not blinded yea vnder the very law wh●n there was a vayle before the eyes of men so that they could not so clearly see into them as now Christians may yet then such dignity and excellency was discerned in them that at the first reading of them men cryed out the voice of God and not of man tore their garments for very anguish and feare of the threats in them and never were so ungratious and impious to say How shall wee know these books to be the Word of God For the holy Scriptures had ever such an innate and Domesticall light beauty goodnes in them and caryed such testimony and witnes within thems●lves ever able to declare themselves Divine and holy● to be the very word of the everliving God that they needed

vvisdome and temperance and that they are perswaders of his Majest to bloudshed and are the upholdes of idola●rie superstition prophanesse ●hat he scandalously defame●h the vvitnesses produced against him and that he hath causleslie and boldlie inveighed against the oath ex officio and other the ancient formes of proceedings of the High Commission Court To all these the Defendent ansvvereth as they lie And first vvhereas the Defendent chargeth them vvith crueltie injustice vvant of vvisdome temperance● he conceiveth he hath very good reason for that his charge both in respect of himself and others and in regard both of the soules and bodies estates of men all which they captive enslave or dissipate scatter at pleasure and in as much as in them lyes seeke the ruine of To say nothing of their daylie practises who condemne men without either exhibiting articles producing of witnesses or any legall proceedings against them as if a man should be hanged without evidence given or indictment framed which is the hight of injustice the Defendēt saith that their very proceedings against himselfe sufficiently shew their crueltie injustice want of wisdome and temperance their very speeches apparently prove all these things Neither is there such a president of wrong and cruelty in the whole world that any man of what ranke order or degree soever he be that shall write a Booke in Defence of that religion that is established by publick Autority for the honour of the King in Defence of his prerogative against a common enimy that for this indeavour of his should be ruined he his wife children cast into prison deprived first of all possibility of livelyhood rayled upon reviled publickly and after all this given to the Devill and that onely for writing a Booke which had nothing in it but Scripture and in the which the Defendent thought they meant him and that they should still prosecute him seek his eares and the defacing of him which they threaten Such a President of wrong crueltie the Defendent sayth cannot be produced in toto Macrocosm● therefore the Defendent in respect of his owne particular justlie chargeth them with crueltie injustice and intemperance And in respect of all other honest men that come under their jurisdiction the same may be sayd and proved by thousands whether one respect their soules bodyes or goods for they use cruelty in regard of all sparing neither age or sex poore or rich youg or old bond or free but upon every triviall occasion or for the meanest neglect of any one of their idlest and impious Ceremonies or for any misprision it is enough to have them hoisted into the High Commission Court brought from the remotest parts of the Kingdome to the utter undoing of them their familyes when as the greatest breach of any of the Commandements of the first table is not once thought of And in the bringing of them into troubles they deale with those poore men as they doe with Beares Bulls at Paris Garden they first by violence and their Officers to their mightie expenses hale them into their Courts and then with bands of two or three hundred pounds they tie them to their stakes bait them three or foure yeares together with all maner of contumelyes reproaches vexations expenses calamities torments till they have wearied them to death and made their lives tedious unto them after all this they fling him into one jayle or other destitute of friends monies And as if this were not enough e●en as the persecutors of the Martyrs in the primitive times as histories relate dealt with the Saints when they brought them to the slaughter they were wont to cloth them with the skinnes and hides of wilde Beasts that so they might make them the more formidable and the better animate their dogs and curres against them to teare them in peeces In like maner doe the Prelats their complices in these our times deale with poore honest Christians and the true and faithfull servants of the Lord and the Kings most loyall Subiects they make them monstrous ugly and deformed unto all men King Nobles by their relations and informations they cloth them with saying of them That they are maligners and enimies of government troublers of Church and State Seducers of the Kings Subjects making them disloyall unto their Prince stirrers up of sedition faction and a thousand such crimes setting all the people against them in their open Courts have their orators to blanch over their defamatory false accu●ations charging them with foule crimes the thought of which never came into their heads as this present information may witnes Yea in the very Court-Sermons they incense the King Nobles dayly against those they brand with the name of Puritans and Sectaries which all this honorable Assembly can witnes and the Defendent hath heard many Court-Sermons with his owne eares in the time of his liberty but never heard one where the Puritans as they terme them were not brought up in the Pulpit most shamefully unchristianly traduced as those that opposed the Kings proceedings and such as maligne his government and trouble the peace of Church and State and humbly besought his Majest that some severe course might bee sought taken against them These such like sprincklings of their brotherly Rhetorick the defendent himselfe hath often heard neither can this honorable Court be ignorant of the truth of this And what is all this but great cruelty injustice to abuse thus their brethren by malicious and false accusations to the incensing of their Gracious King and Soveraigne against them when they are most innocent harmlesse desiring nothing more then the life safety prosperity happines of his Majesty and of his royall progeny his florishing raigne and would lose ten thousand lives if they had them for the honour of his crowne dignity for they desire nothing more then to bee found loyall neither do they seeke any thing more then the peac● and wellfare of the Church the good of this commonwealth● And therefore if there be any this is cruelty and injustice in a high degree to deale thus mercilesly with their too too much allready afflictid brethren of whom they are ever making sinister relations to King Councell and State to the depriving of them many times of their libert● livelyhoods and states to the making of them theirs ever miserable and all this also they doe in their Courts every day defaming them as enimies of government and enimies of the Church and casting them into prison with great Fines on their backs And this is the cruelty they dayly use in respect of their bodies lives and estates But yet their cruelty is greater in respect of their soules for they have through the Kingdome of England and VVales taken away allmost all their glorious paynfull Ministers and ●hose that with most diligence taught the people and

sent droanes and loyterers amongs● them dumb dogs that can not barke and is not this great cruelty to the poore Soules of men to deprive them of the food of life and to starve them See what Paul sayth to Bariesus the Sorcerer in the 13. of the Acts when Sergius Paulus the Deputy of the Country a prudent man called for Barnabas and Saul and desired to heare the word of God it is sayd that Elemas the Sorcerer withstood them seeking to turne away the Deputy from the faith to whom Saul filled with the holy Ghost setting his eyes on him sayd O full of all subtility and all mischiefe thou childe of the devill thou enimy of all righteousnes wilt thou not cease to pervert the right wayes of the Lord Those then that take away the meanes of salvation and hinder others from the hearing of the word they are most cruell unto them hindering of them of salvation it selfe and such are the children of the devill the enimies of all rightnousnes perverters of the wayes of the Lord the holy Ghost hath spake it and Christ himselfe sayth Matth. 23. and the 13. Woe unto you Scribes Pharisies hypocri●s for yee shut up t●e Kingdome of heaven against men for you neither goe in your selves neither suffer you them that are entring to goe in And in Luke the 11. and verse the 52. hee sayth Woe unto you Lawyers for yee have taken away the key of knowledge yee enter not in your selves and them that were entring you hindred Christ himselfe pronounces woe here to all such Soule-murtherers as take away the key of knowledg from the people and shut up the Kingdome of heaven against them which is the greatest cruelty that can be exercised over miserable men and yet this is the dayly occupation of the Prelats of which the whole Kingdome can witnes how that they have made most places desolate depriving them of the bread of life the preaching of the Gospell and taking away the key of knowledge from them and in stead of ●rue nourishing food they give them the huskes of ceremonyes and vaine traditions and idle superstitious observations Neither doe they onely extinguish and put out all their shi●ing lights but they severely punish those that seeke it or goe after it where it is so that if one do but goe out of his owne parish where he hath no preaching where perhaps there hath not been a sermon seven yeares together as there are many such parishes in this Kingdome he is forthwith haled into their Courts tormented to death and is not this horrible cruelty yea if one neighbour doe but goe to an other and that but to heare a Sermon repeated when he dare not goe out of his owne parish he is immediatly haled into their Courts as a Keeper of Conventicles and miserably there tormented and is not this also great cruelty Especially when any of their lewd parishioners may goe from yeare to yeare out of their owne parishes a drinking quaffing and that on the Lords day and holy dayes as they call them and have their meetings in troopes and great assemblyes in drinking Schooles tippling there to the great dishonour of God and many times to the great mischiefe of o●hers and the perpetrating of many ●innes and all such though they never heare Service neither divine nor humain find favour in their Courts and serve for wi●nesses against the generation of the just and those that feare God they are esteemed good Sons of the Church though in all other things they be also never so impious Neither is there any law against those children of Be●iall neither can any man deny this that knoweth any thing for they are the defenders of such fellows tormentors of the most godly And if this be not also insufferable tyranny and crue●ty let every reasonable man judge In this i●formation his most excellent Majest is truely and deservedly commended that he is an enimy to Popery and all innovation of religion as his Highnes hath often declared himselfe and that he doth dayly frequent the Church and is diligent in hearing of Sermons And this most eminent piety in our noble King and Soveraigne we his loyall though poore Subjects heartily reioyce at desiring the Lord of heaven still to inflame his royall heart with a zeale for the glory of God the propagation of the Gospell and to continue in him an increase a love unto his holy word Now all men know that Kings examples have been ever the paterne for their Subjects and it is the duty of all good Citizens Subjects to imitate their King in all well doing and men use commonly to say Regis ad exemplum the Kings example is ever to be followed and it is his royall hearts desire that his Subjects should imitat him in that his piety Now what a great unexpressible cruelty is this in the Prelats towards the poore people and how great a dishonour is done to the Ki●g in it that they will not let his Subjects be good for it is good in the King and hightly commendable before God men to heare the Word of God often preached and to be diligent in the hearing of Sermons or els the Informers would not have set it downe as so singular a vertue in our royall King and yet they punish this good in his Subjects and it is a cause of the utter undoing of many of them if they goe to Sermons and when they are found to bee diligent at the hearing of the word the going to a sermon into the next Parish when they have none in their owne is matter sufficient to mount them up into the high Commission which is none of the smallest crueltyes that holy and pious men in these our dayes groane under to the infinit dishonour of God and the King and the needles vexation and molestation of his dutifullest Subjects who desire to follow in that their godly Princes example In S. Iohn Baptists time it is sayd That Ierusalem Iudea and the region round about● came all out to heare him running after Sermons and so they did after Christ And it stands recorded in sacred Writ to their eternall honour and for our imitation For all the Saints godly examples are set downe for us to imitate and wee never read that any were by the very enimies of the Gospell in those dayes the Scribes Pharises and High-Priests molested or troubled for the same and it is sayd of them that they tooke the Kingdome of heaven with a kind of holy violence and their diligence in hearing the word is related ●nd told of them as a thing very honorable and praise worthy and so it is very well related in the information of our gracious King to his immortall honour and great praise and so it is and ever to be honoured in his Maj● and his example in this to be followed of all his obedient Subjects And is it not a transcendent cruel●y then