Selected quad for the lemma: ground_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
ground_n	observe_v	zeal_n	zealous_a	18	3	9.4642	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19461	A modest and reasonable examination, of some things in vse in the Church of England, sundrie times heretofore misliked and now lately, in a booke called the (Plea of the innocent:) and an assertion for true and Christian church policy, made for a full satisfaction to all those, that are of iudgement, and not possessed with a preiudice against this present church gouernment, wherein the principall poynts are fully, and peaceably aunswered, which seeme to bee offensiue in the ecclesiasticall state of this kingdome. The contentes whereof are set downe in the page following.	Covell, William, d. 1614?	1604 (1604)	STC 5882; ESTC S108881	174,201	234

if we finde both the words and the deedes of the best amongst them to haue been such as no man hath reason to allow it cannot choose but seeme strange that any one carefull of what he vttereth should become a patron to that proceeding which is no sooner barely rehearsed but must vnto all men of necessitie appeare to be without warrant For iffailing in Cmilitie of tearmes their actions had beene more milde or if ouer seene in their Actions their words had beene of a better temper some colorable snow might haue been their excuse which now is wanting seeing they doe faile in both and therefore euen to discouer their proceedings is to ouerthrow thē As few Societies are or can be hoped to be without some euill so the principall remedies in the iudgement of wise men haue been thought to be three First that all things corrupted by time should with discretion be brought to their first Institution Secōdly if this were not to be hoped for they might vtterly be abolished Thirdly that no Innocatiōs were permitted to begin and being begun immediatly by the hand of Authoritie to be cut of The first of these was called Reformation which is a repetion or Restitution of the auncient deede So that to Reform is not to make new but to restore to his former well being what time and corruption by continuance had made euill Now as authoritie and wisedome are both requisite to performe this so must it needs be a disorder in those that would reforme and doe want both And it cannot bee but a great ouersight in them Who hauing thus erred ought to bee silent and craue pardon dare aduenture notwithstanding to plead this cause and to publish Apologies in there owne defence Wee will not touch the first Authors and Originalles of this euill being deriued from those who then both for scituation and gouernment were straungers to our state But only make it appeare that since the beginning of our last Soueriegnes reigne what holinesses so euer was pretended the whole proceeding in matters of Reformation both in worde and deede was altogether vnlawfull and without warrant A thing howsoeuer obserued by diuers heeretofore yet not vnfit to be handled in this place and at this time The ground of that euill which followed was layd in Queene Maries time in whose Zealous gouernment a Zeale in others of our Countrie from other forreigne places in both peraduenture a like euill sowed the vncleane seede of those immoderat growing tares which since haue daungered our whole Church Neither can the goodnesse of Religion bee any warrant for euill doeing seeing what is lawfull where true Religion doth seeme to giue leaue must of necessitie bee as Lawfull being permitted by a Religion or don for a Religion though it be false So that it was no more fit for priuat and Inferiour persons at that time by violence to remoue Idolatrie the contrarie whereof was their Doctrine than in times much purer which haue since followed it was or could be lawfull for any of the Church of Rome by inuasion or treason to establish the Doctrine of that Sea This euer remaining a true rule That good then deserueth the name of euill when being good it ceaseth to bee well done and no Religion can warrant to pull downe Kings when true Religion doth commaund that whatsoeuer their Religion is wee must obay them either in suffering with patience what they impose or in dooing with obedience what they doe commaund So that the iust hatred of Idolatrie seruing to giue warrant to what they did then in times when the Church was much polluted hath been not the least occasiō since to attempt the like and farre worse when by many degrees the times the Religion was more pure And I am sorie so good a man by name should publish to the world a Doctrine so false and daungerous that it should be lawfull to kill wicked Kings and Tyrants Neither had this being but the priuat error of one been in all respectes so daungerous if an other for his place a Deane and not meanely esteemed had in not his preface to that Booke affirmed it to be the doctrine of the best and most learned in those partes meaning as I thinke Caluin and the rest So that all thinges being duely weighed the practise of those in that time for religion was neither more honest nor lawfull than the late practises of those of the Church of Rome neither let any man thinke that Religion can be a warrant for that deed which must remaine an euerlasting blemish to that Religion that caused it to bee doone Others our countrie had at that time men of famous and worthie memorie which liued in Zuriech Bas●ll and Franckefort these discretly obserued without Innouation the reformation established in King Edwardes dayes Nowe when those that had liued in Geneua and obserued with what policie Caluin and others swayed the whole gouernment a thing peraduenture neither much contradict seeing the worthinesse of the man nor Difficult to effect considering the forme of that state they began sayling in both repects being equal only in a violēt Zeale to attempt the like discipline in their owne Countrey A thing so much the lesse sufferable by how much the parties were meaner the gouernment of their Countrie farre better and the alteration not safe in so great a Kingdome And yet at that time the Zeale of these contented it selfe little to meddle in shew with the matters of disciplie but rather was busied about the apparell of Ministers Cerimonies prescribed and amendment as they thought of the Communion booke But after so hardly are those things limited which are but the workes of a strong fancie those that succeeded made their discipline an essentiall Note of the true Church were as ready as they said to become Martyrs in that quarell as for the defence of any Article of the Christian faith of whom I may say as Saint Austine doth of some such they were Martyrs if they had died of a foolish Philosophy Out of this strong and vehement perswasion of well doing and from a desire of goodnes peraduenture in some although it is like that those who were most earnest had not the best conscience were published sundrie Dialogues able to haue iniured a good cause complaints petitions to her Maiestie and the Parliament in the name of the Comunaltie their appellations their exhortations fiue or six seuerall supplications to the Parliament Martyns vnhallowed Imitations of Passauantius The humble motion to the Lords of the Councill and diuers other of the like nature in manner of Register collected into one volume These many such for it were infinit and of small vse to reckon all were the chiefe and the best meanes their learning wisedome and holinesse thought fit for the gaining of Authoritie to this new discipline but if these immodest libelles had beene the worst fruites