Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	church_n	doctrine_n	popery_n	4,964	5	10.7046	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A83942	England and Scotlands covenant vvith their God; viz. in the protestation, the vow and covenant, the league and covenant for reformation and preservation of religion, the honour and happinesse of the King, and the peace and safety of the three kingdomes of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Ordered by the Commons in Parliament, that these covenants be printed and published.	England and Wales. Parliament. House of Commons.	1644 (1644)	Wing E2930; Thomason E1200_1; ESTC R201204	6,419	22

ENGLAND AND SCOTLANDS COVENANT VVith their God VIZ. In The Protestation In The Vow and Covenant In The League and Covenant for Reformation and preservation of Religion the Honour and Happinesse of the King and the Peace and safety of the three Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland ORdered by the Commons in Parliament that these Covenants be printed and published Printed for Edw. Husbands and are to be sold at his Shop in the middle Temple 1643 Dei Mercurii 5. Maii 1641. IT is this day Ordered by the House of Commons now asse●bled in Parliament That the Preamble together with the Protestation which the Members of this House made the third day of May shall be forthwith Printed and the Copies Printed brought to the Clerk of the said House to attest under his hand to the end that the Knights Citizens and Burgesses may send them down to the Sheriffes and Iustices of Peace of the severall Shires and to the Citizens and Burgesses of the severall Cities Boroughes and Cinque Ports respectively And the Knights Citizens and Burgesses are to intimate unto the Shires Cities Boroughs and Cinque Ports with that willingnesse all the members of this House made this Protestation And further to signifie that as they justifie the taking of it in themselves so they cannot but approve it in all such as shall take it VVE the Knights Citizens and Burgesses in the Commons House of Parliament finding to the great griefe of our hearts that the designes of the Priests and Iesuits and other adherents to the See of Rome have of late been more boldly and frequently put in practice then formerly to the undermining and danger of the ruine of the true reformed Protestant Religion in his Majesties Dominions established And finding also that there have beene and having just cause to suspect that there still are even during the sitting in Parliament endeavours to subvert the fundamentall Laws of England and Ireland and to introduce the exercise of an Arbitrary and Tyrannicall Government by most pernicious and wicked Counsels Practices Plots and Conspiracies And that the long inter●ission and unhappy breach of Parliam●ents hath occasioned many i●le all Taxations whereupon the Subject hath been prosecuted and grieved And that divers Innovations and Superstitions have been brought into the Church multitudes driven out of his Majesties Dominions jealousies raised and fomented betwixt the King and his people a Popish army levied in Ireland and two Armies brought into the bowels of this Kingdome to the hazard of his Majesties-Royal Person the consumption of the Revenues of the Crown and Treasure of this Kingdome And lastly finding great cause of jealousie that endeavours have been and are used to bring the English Armie into a misunder standing of this Parliament thereby to encline that Army with force to bring to p●sse those wicked councels have therefore thought good to joyn themselves 〈◊〉 Declaration of our united Affections and Resolutions and to make this ensuing Protestation I A. B. Doe in the presence of Almighty God Promise Vow and Protest to maintaine and defend as far as lawfully I may with my life power and estate the true Reformed Protestant Religion expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England against all Popery and Popish Innovations within this Realm contrary to the same Doctrine and according to the duty of my Allegiance His Majesties Royall Person Honour and Estate as also the Power and Priviledges of Parliament The lawfull Rights and Liberties of the Subject and every person that maketh this Protestation in whatsoever he shall do in the lawfull pursuance of the s●me And to my power and as far as lawfully I may I will oppose and by all good wayes and meanes indeavour to bring to condigne punisHment all such as shall either by Force Practice Councels Plots Conspiracies or otherwise doe any thing to the contrary of any thing in this present Protestation contained And further that I shall in all just and Honourable wayes indeavour to preserve the Vnion and Peace between the three Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland And neither for hope feare nor other respect shall relinquish this Promise Vow and Protestation WHereas some doubts have been raised by severall persons out of this House concerning the meaning of these words contained in the Protestation lately made by the Members of this House viz. The true reformed Protestant Religion expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England against all Popery and Popish innovations within this Realme contrary to the same Doctrine This House doth declare That by those words was and is meant onely the publike Doctrine professed in the said Church so far as it is opposite to Popery and Popish Innovations And that the said words are not to be extended to the maintaining of any forme of Worship Discipline or Government nor of any Rites or Ceremonies of the said Church of England Die Veneris 30. Julii 1641. Resolved upon the Question THat this House doth conceive that the Protestation made by them is fit to be taken by every person that is well affected in Religion and to the good of the Commonwealth And therefore doth declare That what person soever shall not take the Protestation is unfit to beare Office in the Church or Commonwealth The Vow and Covenant appointed by the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament to be taken by every Man in the Cities of London Westminster the Suburbs and Liberties thereof and throughout the whole Kingdome VVHereas the Lords and Commons now assembled in Parliament have declared That there hath been and now is a Popish and Trayterous Plot for the subversion of the true Protestant reformed Religion and the Liberty of the Subject And that in pursuance thereof a Popish Army hath been raised and now is on foot in divers parts of this Kingdom And have further in a solemn manner Declared Vowed and Covenanted That in order to the security and preservation of the true Protestant Religion and Liberty of the Subject they will not consent to the laying down of Arms so long as the Papists now in open War against the Parliament shall by force of Arms be protected from the Iustice thereof And whereas the Lords and Commons have Declared that there hath been a treacherous and horrid Designe lately discovered by the great blessing and speciall Providence of God of divers persons to joyn themselves with the Armies raised by the King and to destroy the Forces raised by the Lords and Commons in Parliament to surprise the Cities of London and Westminster with the Suburbs and by Arms to force the Parliament And the said Lords and Commons finding by constant experience that many wayes of force and treachery are continually attempted to bring to utter ruine and destruction the Parliament and Kingdom and that which is dearest the true Protestant Religion and that for the preventing and withstanding the same they have thought fit That all who are true hearted and lovers of their country should

binde themselves each to other in a sacred Vow and Covenant in manner and form as followeth and accordingly I A. B. in humility and reverence of the Divine Majestie declare my hearty sorrow for my own sins and the sins of this Nation which have deserved the Calamities and Iudgements that now lye upon it And my true intention is by Gods grace to endeavour the amendment of my own wayes And that I do abhor and detest the said wicked and treacherous Designe lately discovered and that I never gave nor will give my assent to the execution thereof but will according to my power and Vocation oppose and resist the same and all other of the like nature And in case any other like Design shall hereafter come to my knowledge I will make such timely discoverie as I shall conceive may best conduce to the preventing thereof And whereas I do in my conscience beleeve That the Forces raised by the two Houses of Parliament are raised and continued for their just Defence and for the Defence of the true Protestant Religion and Liberties of the Subject against the Forces raised by the King I do here in the presence of Almighty God Declare Vow and Covenant That I will according to my power and vocation assist the Forces raised and continued by both Houses of Parliament against the Forces raised by the King without their consent And will likewise assist all other persons that shall take this Oath in what they shall do in pursuance thereof And will not directly or indirectly adhere unto nor shall willingly assist the Forces raised by the King without the consent of both Houses of Parliament And this V●w and Covenant I make in the presence of Almighty God the Searcher of all hear●s with a true intention to perform the same as I shall answer at the great Day when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed COme let us joyn our selves to the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant that shall not he forgotten Ier. 50. 5. Take away the wicked from before the King and his Throne shall be established in righteousnesse Prov. 25. 5. And all Iudah rejoyced at the Oath for they had sworn with all their heart and sought him with their whole desire and hee was found of them and the Lord gave them rest round about 2 Chron. 15. 15. The excellent Usefulnesse of this COVENANT VNion with God Conformity to God and Vnity of the three Kingdoms are things most desirable In the first we are happy In the second holy In the third is strength peace and safety These are the kindly fruits of this Covenant and a Covenant that brings forth those how gladly should it be embraced and how willingly received They are lovely Bands that binds us to be happy holy and safe The heart of man is backsliding and a Covenant is like a hedge or wall to stop us from going back it being a good and ready answer to a tempter or tentation How shall I do this and break my Covenant Surely we have been too loose toward God having almost lost a Religion too loose in our lives and too dis-united among our selves and well it may be thought that a main end of this Rod which now lyes upon us is to beat us into this Covenant that thereby we may be knit faster to God to holinesse and each to other by this Band of Vnity Yet the taking is not the chief part of a Covenant but the keeping The benefits of a Covenant are then sure and stedfast to us when we are stedfast in the Covenant Now a main cause of unstedfastnesse in the Covenant is forgetfulnesse of it To prevent this the Covenant is presented in this form that being set up before us it may be daily seen and by seeing remembred and by remembring performed And withall let us remember this that all the wayes of God are mercy and truth to them that fear him and keep his Covenant But because no man is strong in his own strength let us seek strength of Him who is both our strength and our Redeeme that by Him we may be enabled to keep our Covenant with him that so hee may delight to dwell with us to be called our God and to call us his people upon which happy condition attend Peace Prosperity and all blessings of Heaven and Earth temporall and eternall VVE Noblemen Barons Knights Gentlemen Citizens Burgesses Ministers of the Gospel and Commons of all sorts in the Kingdomes of England Scotland and Ireland by the Providence of God living under one King and being of one Reformed Religion having before our eyes the glory of God and the advancement of the Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ the honour and happinesse of the Kings Majesty and His Posterity and the true publique Liberty Safety and Peace of the Kingdoms wherin every ones private condition is included and calling to minde the treacherous and bloody plots conspiracies attempts and practices of the Enemies of God against the true Religion and professours thereof in all places especially in these three Kingdomes ever since the Reformation of Religion and how much their rage power and presumption are of late and at this time increased and exercised whereof the deplorable estate of the Church and Kingdome of Ireland the distressed estate of the Church and Kingdome of England and the dangerous estate of the Church and Kingdom of Scotland are present and publike Testimonies We have now at last after other means of Supplication Remonstrance Protestations and Sufferings for t●e preservation of our selves our Religion from utter ruine and Destruction according to the commendable practice of these Kingdomes in former times and the Example of Gods people in other Nations after mature deliberation resolved and determined to enter into a mutuall and solemne League and Covenant wherein we all subscribe and each one of us for himself with our hands lifted up to the most high God do swear I. THat we shal sincerely really and constantly through the Grace of God indeavour in our severall places callings the preservation of the reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government against our common Enemies the Reformation of Religion in the Kingdoms of England and Ireland in Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government according to the Word of God and the Example of the best Reformed Churches And shall indeavour to bring the Churches of God in the three Kingdoms to the neerest Conjunction and Vniformity in Religion Confession of Faith Form of Church-government Directory for Worship and Catechizing That we and but Posterity after us may as Brethren live in Faith and Love and the Lord may delight to dwell in the midst of us II. That we shall in like manner without respect of persons indeavour the extirpation of Poperie Prelacie that is Church-government by Arch-Bishops Bishops their Chancellours and Commissaries Deane Deans and Chapters Arch-deacons and all other Ecclesiasticall Officers depending