Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	henry_n	king_n	queen_n	22,548	5	7.7438	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79863	Here is the swearers and they who swear falsly, and likewise they who compel men to swear, all tried by the law of the spirit of life which is in Chirst Jesus. Which law is holy, just, pure, and good; and all of them found guilty of sin and transgression against the true and living God; and also sentence pronounced against them all, that so transgress the Law of God, who with the wicked, and all they who forget God, must be turned into Hell, except they repent speedily; for with God there is no respect of persons in Judgement. Written the 21. day of the third month, 1661. by me Henry Clark.	Clark, Henry, 17th cent.	1661 (1661)	Wing C4454A; ESTC R231477	12,950	12

such men act or contrive by the invention of their own brains Psal 62.9 and the imaginations of their own hearts in imitation of the works of God or the ways of his worship is not true but are meer lyes vanities falshood and the work of errors which acts works and forms of Oaths are not to be subjected to but are to be rejected by all true Christians Why 4. Because it is neither lawful nor comely for Christians to swear an Oath nor by any form of Oath or thing whatsoever for Christians the Disciples of Christ were taught and have learned of their Lord and Master Christ Jesus not to swéar at all and what they were taught and what they received of Christ that they declared and taught to others in obedience to Christs command who said unto them Go and teach all Nations teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you who commanded them not to swear at all and it is upon record to be seen that Iames an Apostle a Disciple of Iesus Christ and a true Christian likewise wrote to the Brethren Christians of the twelve tribes which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose upon the Church which was at Ierusalem saying My brethren but above all things swear not at all neither by Heaven neither by the Earth neither by any other Oath least ye fall into condemnation c. Which words both Iames and the other Disciples had learned of Christ Jesus the good Shepherd and Bishop of their souls who went up into a Mountain and when he was sate his Disciples came unto him and he opened his mouth and taught them thus with other Doctrine not to swear at all which they obeyed and kept And so likewise all others who believed on his Name through their preaching did observe the same commands of Christ and do them For in the dayes of Nero and Domitian both Heathen Emperors and cruel tyrants was very great and sore persecution of the Christians and they had a form of an oath for men to swear by and the Inquisitors of their Inquisition put the Christians whom they persecuted to sweare by their form of Oath whether that they were Christians or no but the Christians resused to swear confessing and saying that they were Christians and could not deny Christ not his Doctrine And then according to the Heathens Law sentence of death was pronounced against the Christians by the Proconsul and forthwith the sentence was put in execution by wicked blood-thirsty men who put the Christians to death some after one manner and some after another according to the wills of those cruel tyrants the Emperors and so I finde that the like Oath was required of Polycarpus by the Proconsul at Smyrna which was in these words following thus Polycarpus thou shalt swear by the Emperors good fortune and by the prosperity of Cesar and declare the truth whether in very deed thou art a Christian or no. But Polycarpus refused to swear or to deny Christ and his Doctrine and confessed himself to be a Christian So he was led away to be burned being about the age of fourscore and six years or more So likewise it is recorded that the Christian Martyrs in King Richard the second 's days and in Henry the fourth's days and in Queen Maries dayes here in England did bear a good testimony against Swearing and likewise did refuse to swear according to the command of Christ who said Swear not at all Therefore I say it is neither lawful nor comely for Christians to swear for if they should it may be said to them as Paul said to the Iews in another case Who art thou that teachest another should not swear and dost thou thy self swear c But all those who had and have but the Name of Christians onely but lived not nor do live in the life and power that the true Christians lived and do live in or all they who had and have got into a form of godliness and denyed and do deny the power thereof which all they that were and are truly godly lived and do live in I say that even such there were and are who sought and seek to the Powers of the Earth viz. to the Kings and Rulers thereof for protection in their meer form of godliness onely the which the true Christians neither did nor do such things for they knowing that the true and living God whom they serve is all-sufficient by his power to keep and preserve them out of the hands of all their Enemies if he wil and none can touch them but if not then they submit to his wil in whatsoever he requires of them although it be to the loss of all things or the laying down of their bodies But they who have got into and live in a form of godliness only they cannot trust God without they have the help and assistance of the Kings and Rulers of the Earth to protect them by a Law of their making And therefore the Kings and Rulers of the earth for the more better security of those seeming Formalists assistance to themselves in a conformity to their wills and laws they contrive and frame an Image or an Oath or Oaths for those seeming Formalists to swear fealty to them by just like the Heathens that swore by their false gods that were made with hands fealty to their Emperors and Kings even so do they and all they that wil not swear by those Oaths of their making shall have no protection by them But Elizabeth formerly Queen of England was according to that knowledge she had in those dayes more merciful then her predecessors were for that there is a Law that was made in the ●th year of her reign that it should not be lawful for any person or persons to slay or kil any person or persons in any manner attainted or hereafter to be attainted of in or upon any premunire c. read the Law cap. 1. And so they make good the words of Christ who said The world loves its own And thus the wicked Heathens Pagans Infidels outward Formalists Hypocritical professors of Christianity for like as their Leadders are so are the people for they all combine together against the Lord and his annointed the true Christians for said David The wicked plotteth against the just and gnasheth upon him with his teeth the Heathen rage Psa 37.12 and the people imagine a vain thing the Kings of the Earth set themselves and Rulers take counsel together saying Come let us break their Bonds assunder let us cast away their Cords from us nay they swear that they will punish and destroy them all viz. the true Christians as Hereticks Schismaticks Phanaticks and Non-conformists to our Laws c. and all the rude multitude of profane Drunkards and Swearers at every occasion or word murderers sighters quarrellers whores whoremongers adulterers fornicators thieves robbers idolators image-makers hypocrites and outward formalists will all run and go and lay

their hands upon a Bible and swear by it and the forms of oaths that they have made and kiss the Bible when they have done that they will stand by aid and assist the Kings Rulers Judges Iustices Mayors Sheriffs Bailiffs Constable and others in the doing of any act of violence cruelty oppression yea even to death it self against the true Christians who sear the true and living God and dare not run with them into the same excess of riot revellings banquettings chambering wantonness drunkenness lasciviousness and swearing as the Kings Rulers Ptiests and people do run into therefore they hate the true Christians 1 Ioh. 3.13 1 Pet. 4.4 and speak all manner of evil of them and seek to destroy them from off the face of the earth that God may not have a temple to dwell in nor the Son of God a place to lay his head in upon the earth with such as believe in his Name who saith Swear not at all c. So that here is no injunction laid upon nor liberty allowed to the true Christians to swear by any form of Oath Allegiance to the Kings or Rulers of the Earth or otherwayes in whatsoever nature manner or thing be it to be sworn unto c. Therefore if he who shall break one of the least of Gods commandments and shall teach men so to do said Christ Iesus shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven then what shall all they be called or counted worthy of that not only break and transgress Gods commandments themselves but likewise compel others so to do I say certainly they are worthy to have the like punishment plagues and torment that Pharoah and the Aegyptians had and in the end to be drowned in the sea or there reward like as had that wicked Iehoram who wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord himself and caused the Inhabitants of Ierusalem to go a whoring like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab and compel Iudah thereunto for the which wickedness God smote the King Iehoram himself with a sore and an incurable disease in his bowels Read 2 Chron. 21. chap. so that his bowels fell out by reason of his sickness and moreover God stirred up the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabians and they came up into Iudah and brake into it and carried away all the substance that was in the Kings house and his Sons also and read and see what came upon Iudah in the days of Ioash King of Iudah after the death of Iehoiada and of Ioash himself for hearkening unto the Princes of Iudah that made obeysance unto him who then left the house of the Lord God and served Groves and Idols and at the Kings commandment stoned to death Zechariah the Son of Iehoiada between the Temple and the Altar for the which the Syrians came with a small company of men and the Lord delivered a very great host into their hands and they destroyed all the Princes of the people and sent all the spoil of them to the King of Damascus Read 2 Chron. 24. chap. Ier. 52. ch 2 Chron. 36. chap. c. and read what became upon Zedekiah and all the people of Iudah and Ierusalem and upon Herod the King who stretched out his hand against the true Christians that is the Church of Christ Read Acts the 12. Chapter And further I say that such Kings Rulers and Iudges or others who transgress the Laws of God themselves and compel others so to do are even worthy of and fit for the fire that burns and is never quenched and likewise for the worm that continually gnaws and never dies and for the pit and the snare for Tophet is ordained of old yea for the Kings it is prepared he hath made it deep and large the pile thereof is fire and much wood and the breath of the Lord like a stream of Brimstone doth kindle it Isaiah 30 33. And so worthy to be called fit companions for the Divel and his Angels and not Christians and thus ye may see what a fearfull thing it is for to fall into the hands of the true and living God who is a consuming fire to all the wicked who with all they that forget God must be turned into hell O consider this and learn to be wise ye Kings Princes Iudges and Rulers of the earth and be instructed to serve the Lord with fear and let your rejoycing be with trembling before the living God come bow down at the feet of Iesus and kiss the Son lest he be angry with you and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little Therefore while you have time prise it for why will ye dye why will ye perish from off the face of the earth and be no more seen nor heard of O ye Kings Iudges and Rulers of the earth to day to day if ye expect mercy from the Lord cease from evil and learn to do well and believe on the Name of Iesus Christ that your souls may be saved or else ye perish eternally for with God there is no respect of persons in judgement c. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart but tell him plainly of his faults Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour that thou bear not sin for him He that hath an ear let him hear and he that will be filthy let him be filthy still About the time of Pope Pelagius the second and before the year 590. for in that year the Pope Pelagius dyed according to former writers there was a decree made called the Canon of Matiscon for honouring of Priests in Latine it runs thus Consilium Matisconense secundum and thus it was decreed Cap. 15. by the said Council 1. That if a lay-man shall meet in the way some better man of the Clergy the lay-man shall in the lowest manner of courtesie stoop reverently and bow down to him 2. If the lay-man be on horse back and the Priest also then the lay-man to put off his hood off his head and do his duty of salutation 3. But if the Priest be on foot and the lay-man on horse back incontinently he shall light from his horse and perform his due honour to the said Clerk 4. Whatsoever he be that shall transgress these Canons which be decreed by the inspiration of the holy Ghost let him be suspended out of the Church which he will not honour in her Ministers even so long as shall please the Bishop of that See c. and for proof of this read in a Book called The defence of Priests marriages Imprinted at London by Richard Iugge Printer then to the Queen Mary of England and dedicated to Philip Mary who were the chief Rulers of the land But I finde in the Book of Martyrs pages 496. and 500. and it was in Queen Mary's days Anno 1555 that Doctor Nicholas Ridley refused to move or put off his Cap before the Court in honour of the Pope or to the Cardinal the Popes Legate For said Brooks then Bishop of Glocester Put off your cap Mr. Ridley and put you on this Surplice Ridley said Not I truly Said Brooks But you must But Ridley said I will not And seeing it is thus written that Christ Iesus the Son of God said to the Iews Iohn 5.44 How can ye believe which receive honour one of another and seek not the honour which cometh from God onely so I say accordingly as Iames said That the faith of Iesus Christ standeth not in the respect of persons Therefore let all people judge according to the Law and the Testimony that is bound up among the Disciples Whether that Decree Canon or Constitution made in the Council of Matiscon for the honouring of Priests Clerks c. was made by the inspiration of the Spirit of God as they said it was yea or nay Or whether it came not from that proud spirit of Lucifer that was once in the King of Assyria and which afterward got into the proud Pope and the proud Prelate and sate in Counsel among them inspiring of them to make a Decree or Canon for the honouring of them and their adherents with Cap and Knee Seeing that they had not the honour which comes from God onely judge ye c. THE END