Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	believe_v	true_a	truth_n	1,564	5	5.8086	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75464	The anti-covenant, or a sad complaint concerning the new Oath or Covenant: presented in a letter to a dear and intimate friend, with earnest request for his advice and prayers. By a true loyall subject, and lover of the Parliament.	True loyall subject and lover of the Parliament.	1643 (1643)	Wing A3489; Thomason E60_10; ESTC R23546	44,797	58

all such designes And for the further clearing of His intentions in that particular He desired all His Nobility and Councell then attending Him to witnesse with Him whether they did see any colour of preparations or counsells that might reasonably beget a beliefe of any such designe and whether they were not fully perswaded to the contrary c whereupon the Nobility and Councell then present at yorke being in number above forty made a Declaration and Profession in these words We whose names are under written in obedience to His Majesties desire and out of the duty which we owe to His Majesties Honour and to truth being here upon the place and witnesses of His Majesties frequent and earnest Declarations and Professions of His abhorring all designes of making war upon His Parliament and not seeing any colour of preparations or counsels that might reasonably beget the beliefe of any such designe Do professe before God and testifie to all the world that we are fully perswaded that His Majesty hath no such intention but that all His indeavours tend to the firm and constant setlement of the true Protestant Religion the just priviledges of Parliament the liberty of the Subject the Law Peace and Prosperity of this Kingdome This solemne Profession was made by the King and attested by His Nobility and Councell June 15. 1642. which was five dayes after that the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament had made certaine propositions and orders for the bringing in of Money Plate or Horse c. for the maintaining an Army for their defence So that as I said before if feares and jealousies of the Kings intentions of raising and leavying War against His Parliament were a just cause or ground for his Parliament actually to raise or leavy forces against him and if we could also in our consciences believe that such feares and jealousies did really and truly possesse both Houses yet when it appeares by such evidence as greater and better could not be given that those feares and jealousies were not just it is strange to thinke what conscience or faith I might adde what hope or charity that man hath that can answer or declare in the presence of Almighty God that he beleeveth in his conscience that the forces raised by the Parliament upon that unjust ground or cause were raised for their just defence 3. Quar. How can any man sweare in Judgement and in Truth that he doth in his conscience believe that the forces raised by the two Houses of Parliament were raised and are continued for the defence of the true Protestant Religion when as first if by the true Protestant Religion be meant that Protestant Religion which is now established so far as ought can be said to be established in the Church of England as that must be meant or otherwise we know not what the true Protestant Religion is and so cannot take this oath in judgement it hath been found by lamentable experience that the true Protestant Religion hath been more invaded impugned and blasphemed by the forces raised by the two Houses of Parliament and their assistants and adherents in those parts where they have had the power then ever it was since Queene Maries dayes witnesse the many uncivill unhumane unchristian attempts assaults and outrages that have been committed by Anabaptists Brownists and other Sectaries upon our established Doctrine upon our established worship and service of God upon Gods holy Ordinances and upon those sacred places wherein all these were wont to meet and present themselves to us in such beauty and excellencie to our unspeakable benefit and comfort I must not forget how the most pious painfull and orthodoxall Protestant Divines they that in former times when the Protestant Religion suffered most by another faction bare the heat and burden of the opposition and stood in the gap against Arminianisme and other innovations have been since the raising of forces by the Parliament and by the power thereof abused imprisoned and cruelly handled when others that then deserted their stations have been magnified and extolled nay when drunken debauched innovating drones that have contributed towards the maintenance of the Parliaments forces have been connived at and favoured and if by chance apprehended speedily dismissed and set at liberty He must have a strong faith and a stretching conscience that can beleeve in his conscience that these are markes or signes of defending the true Protestant Religion If this be their defending of it God send us our old Defendor thereof once againe restablished in His Throne and let these new defenders defend themselves Secondly the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament did no longer since then in March last declare and publish to the world in that Ordinance of theirs for the speedy raising and leavying of money for the maintainance of the Army raised by the Parliament that the only Causes for which they had raised and did then continue an Army and Forces were first for the necessary defence of themselves which may be somewhat more easily believed then for their just defence Seconly for the necessary defence of this Kingdome from forraigne invasions a defence not now mentioned And thirdly for the bringing of notorious offenders to condigne punishment a thing also as was before hinted altogether forgotten in this new oath And if the Lords and Commons themselves have so lately declared and acknowleded that these were the only causes for which they raised and then continued their army and forces they have no cause to take offence at any that shall not believe that the same forces were raised and continued for the defence of the true Protestant Religion I praise God I have no such Moon-faith 4. Quar. How can any man sweare in truth That he doth in his conscience believe that the forces raised by the two Houses are raised and continued for the defence of the liberties of the Subject when by the raising and continuing of these Forces first the liberty of enjoying their owne goods chattells or lands Secondly the liberty of their trading and traffiquing Thirdly the liberty of their persons Fourthly the liberty their consciences towards God their King and their fellow-brethren Fifthly the liberty of their very lives is dayly and hourely either taken or endeavoured to be taken from the best of Subjects and all these contrary to the liberty of the established knowne Lawes of this Land Indeed to Bankrupts and Spendthrifts to Rogues Theeves Murtherers and such like there is such politick liberty of spoyling robbing plundering and killing yeelded to Anabaptists Brownists and other Sectaries such Ecclesiasticall liberty of Conventicle prating and printing permitted and to all sorts of factious seditious rebellious Miscreants such liberty of lying rayling and blaspheming indulged as the like was never heard of much lesse tollerated and countenanced in any Christian Common-wealth And though we had such faith as that we could beleeve that the forces raised by the two Houses of Parliament were raised for the defence of

possible for the most of men to sweare this in judgement according to the second necessary condition of a lawfull oath seeing t is no where declared by the Lords and Commons what that wicked and treacherous design was further then in the generall and generalls are no sufficient ground for the abjuring any particular only Mr. Pym hath collected some particulars of it in his speech before mentioned but how shall thousands reach that collection And when they have it what proofes and testimonies doth he bring to convince any reasonable man of the undoubted truth of what he saith It seems by that very speech that himselfe and the rest of the House of Commons who know most of it do not know it throughly or at least doubt whether they doe or not for that pardon is offered by him in their names to any except those who are taken or fled that shall within 15. dayes discover what he knowes of this conspiracy And will any man that knowes what God is call him to witnesse that he abhorres and detests that which he doth not certainly know T is to be feared God will abhor that man as an extreame vaine foolish man that shall so vainly and foolishly prophane his great name and ●uch a man may easily be induced to sweare an abhorment and detestation of what God most likes and loves he knowing as little of that as of this But suppose the designe be sufficiently declared though not so fully as some desire it might be yet Mr. Pym himselfe hath withall declared that of it in his fore cited speech that would move any loyall Subject to make a second Quaere 2. Quaer Whether any such can sweare justly and righteously that the designe discovered is such a wicked and treacherous designe as ought to be abhorred detested by him for besides the intentions or aimes of it whereof you heard in the introduction he tells us that for the principles of it it did rise from the ashes of another designe that failed namely that mutinous Petition for Peace as he is pleased to honour it by his quiet Epithite contrived in the City and how that was to be abhorred and detested let every true lover of peace judge Then for the steps of it he assureth us that it came to that high step at the last how they might procure power and countenance to the action by authority from His Majesty in the way of Commission and this saith he afterwards they did procure and this doth not render it very horrible and detestable unlesse to those that abhor to obey any Commission that His Majesty grants So for the Actors or Agents in it he is pleased to cloud some in their generall qualifications or relations and some few he cloaths with their owne names In the generall he tells us that some Members of the City had a hand in this designe whereof there were divers they are his words and some Members of both Houses and of the Lords House if Mr. Waller were to be credited of the ablest of the best and of the greatest in particular he names two Gentlemen Mr. Waller as though Mr. Waller an eminent Parliament man were not worthy to be reckoned amongst the Parliament Members and his brother in law Mr. Tomkins I wonder he forgot Mrs. Tomkins who was also apprehended and committed but chaste man he mindes not women especially others mens wives and the Lord Faulkland one of the Secretaries of State And how the design should deserve to be abhorred and detested from such mens being the prime actors in it is beyond my skill I should rather thinke the better then the worse of a designe for such actors sake besides because Mr. Pym should have lost his old wont if he had made any speech especially to the Citizens without throwing some dirt in the Kings face we are further let know from the same mouth that this matter was prosecuted in part and agitated and promoted by those which were sent from His Majesty and seemed to be Messengers of Peace and for fear any should thinke he aimed only at the Kings Messengers and not at the King Himselfe in the same breath he falls foule and heavy like himself upon the Kings gracious Message of Peace and would fain insinuate that those Messages sent by His Majesty were but to amuse the people with pretences of peace whilst this villanous project was a working and so the King is made one and perhaps Mr. Pym will allow Him in this so much of His royall Title the chiefe of this conspiracy and what true hearted Subject will be easily induced to say much lesse to sweare that he abhorres and detests as wicked and treacherous that design whereof his Sovereigne is not only throughly informed but is with reverence to His Sacred Majesty be those termes used the chiefe Complotter and Abettor 3. Quar. Whether the swearing that I never gave my assent to that designe be not to all those that had any finger therein and they are voiced to be many thousands as sore an oath and as much betraying either of their soules to the hazard of hell or of their bodies and estates to the probability of utter ruine as ever the oath ex officio was so much cryed out upon in the world This I am sure of upon the discovery of all the wicked treacherous horrid detestable designes that have been in this Kingdome since the Reformation whether powder-treason or what other soever there was never the like course of soul-cruelty taken for the insnaring of so many soules the Lord in His mercy looke upon them and deliver them 4. Quaer Whether the adding of these words 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 c. doe not argue strongly that the designe was of that nature that if it should appeare in its owne colours it would appeare so fair that multitudes would yet assent to the putting it into execution and therefore is not so horrid and detestable as some would make us beleeve for certainly if it were so the whole Kingdome need not to be sworne never to assent to the execution of it after t is once discovered but to their power to oppose and resist the same and all other of the like nature every man would of his owne accord set himselfe against it with all his might and power The third thing tendred in this oath is That in case any other designe shall hereafter come to our knowledge we will make such timely discovery as we shall conceive may best conduce to the preventing thereof Concerning which I shall only start these two questions 1. What is to be accounted for a designe 2. Whether every man that takes this oath be not truly bound to make such timely discovery of whatsoever he knowes plotted projected contrived or purposed to the prejudice either of the King Church