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
A97068	Petitions against bishops and their votes in Parliament, subscrib'd unto after a clandestine, deliver'd after a tumultuous manner, and falsly going under the name of a whole county or towne, proved to be both contrary to our late taken protestation, as also utterly unlawfull by many other cleere and evident reasons. First written for satisfaction of some private men, and now published for the good of others. By J.W.	J. W.	1642 (1642)	Wing W62; Thomason E133_10; ESTC R19922	5,821	20

PETITIONS AGAINST BISHOPS And their Votes in Parliament subscrib'd unto after a Clandestine deliver'd after a tumultuous manner and falsly going under the name of a whole County or Towne proved to be both contrary to our late taken PROTESTATION as also utterly unlawfull by many other cleere and evident Reasons First written for satisfaction of some private men and now published for the good of others By J. W. LONDON Printed by A. N. for Richard Lownds at his shop adjoyning to Ludgate 1642. Mr. Cachism FOr your satisfaction why I have severall times refused to subscribe your Petition You may please to understand that for the good of the Common-weal County or Parish wherein I live I shall be always ready and willing to give not only my hand but my heart and purse likewise For the publike welfare whereof I have beene both active and passive for severall yeares together But for mee who am but a private Subject A Protestant and no Law-maker to give my hand in a Factious way and without command from Authority to will that there shall be no Bishops and that they shall have no voice in the House of Peeres is against my Conscience and that light of Reason and Vnderstanding which I have received And I dare not comply with the Distempers of the people and follow the stream of a Multitude to doe evill on these grounds following First Because I have by the Example and Recommendation of the Parliament solemnly taken the Protestation Whereby I have seriously Protested to Maintaine and Defend as far as lawfully I may the true Reformed Protestant Religion expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England against all Popery and Popish innovations contrary to the said Doctrine Now in the thirtie sixth Article of the said expressed Doctrine the Office of Bishops is inclusively confirmed Secondly I am engaged thereby also to mayntain and defend the Powers and Privileges of Parliaments which is chiefly to be understood of the established Laws concerning the same Now severall Acts of Parliament doe not only confirme as aforesaid the Office of a Bishop but by the powers and privileges of those Acts of Parliament they are also to sit as Members of the Lords House Thirdly I am bound by the said Protestation to mayntain and defend the lawfull rights liberties of the Subject And if this extends to every subject in particular much more to Parliament Men Now they being subjects and their Rights and Liberties being lawfull I am bound to mayntaine them as farre as lawfully I may in those lawfull Rights and Liberties Againe the making and repealing of Laws for the good of the Common-wealth is a speciall and peculiar power privilege and right proper only to Parliaments therefore not to be forced or coacted by mee being no Parliament man For that may be lawfull and warrantable in my Governours to do by reason which is altogether unlawfull unwarrantable in me to require by Will This is rather to be a tyrannicall ludge then a legall Witnesse to breake Lawes rather then preserve them and instead of Reformation to bring in Confusion Fourthly I am likewise obliged to mayntain and defend the Kings Royall Person Honour and Estate and to preserve the Vnion and Peace betweene his three Kingdomes much more amongst our selves Now there is no better way thereunto then to keep his laws For both the honour and safety of the King the liberty and peace of the Kingdome and welfare of them both are involved in them Fiftly I am engaged also to oppose as far as lawfully I may and by all good ways and meanes to bring to condigne punishment all such as shall either by force practice Counsels plots or Conspiracies do any thing to the contrary of any thing in that present Protestation contained How then dare I be so farre from bringing to condigne punishment the offenders that I shall wilfully consent to the breach of it and procure others thereunto by practice plots conspiracies or the like Sixthly I am neither for hope feare favour or other respect whatsoever to relinquish this promise vow and Protestation much lesse to break it for the same ends and to make others to doe the like This betraying others thereunto and making them guilty of the breach of so solemne a Vow is an offence of an high nature both to God and our Governonrs Finally I am not bound in any Article thereof farther then I may lawfully perform it The Law being the harmonious scope bounds and limits of my Protestation And therefore I may not unlawfully doe any thing that may tend to the breach or contradiction of any Article thereof Moreover the manner of the proceeding doth not satisfie me First Because it is not done in that right way it ought to be For that which is to go under the name of a County or Towne ought to be first assented unto by the Sheriffe Iustice of peace or other Magistrates respectively and then the matter may be publikely propounded and condiscended unto or contradicted that men may be encouraged or disswaded by good reasons pro and con And this is that lawfull and usuall way for Election of Knights and Burgesses for the Parliament and of other Officers and Matters concerning the publike Wherefore Clandestine and surreptitious actions going about from house to house by night and without the consent and commission of authority to engage people to the breach of their protestation and to make it as an act of a County or a Towne and in a manner to force men thereunto are but unlawfull works of darknesse and will not endure the light Secondly It is justly to be feared that these ways are sinister in the Vndertakers being very probable that some of them doe it out of ill will hatred and malice as well to the Government as the Governours or for favour and affection to some whom they suppose it pleaseth or for gaine and profit or feare of displeasure of Land-lords and Customers or for vain glory that it may be said This is the Babel which they have wrought with their own hands And some few of these shall engage and prejudice others and not without cause as it is to be feared by false informations and reasons to make men subscribe Thirdly The like sinister proceedings are to be supposed in the subscriber These kinds of wayes by Tumults and Multitudes without legall allegations and probations to compasse that by will which you cannot obtaine by reason is of a very dangerous consequence and threatens the subversion of all Law Government and Governours for which of them bee they never so good shall be secure if the Multitude of distempered people please to will the contrary These cause much distractions Hinder the proceeding of the State and the reliefe of the oppressed break our blessed Vnitie and bring the actors within the compasse of a punishment from the law of God and Man for not walking according to the expressed Statutes contained therein Furthermore