Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	baronet_n	knight_n	sir_n	27,306	5	7.3237	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75748	A petition delivered in to the Lords Spirituall and Temporall, by Sir Thomas Aston, Baronet, from the county palatine of Chester concerning episcopacy; to the high and honourable Court of Parliament.	Aston, Thomas, Sir, 1600-1645.	1641 (1641)	Wing A4077; Thomason 669.f.4[8]; ESTC R205596	1,905	1

APETITION DELIVERED IN TO THE LORDS SPIRITVALL AND TEMPORALL BY SIR THOMAS ASTON BARONET FROM THE COVNTY PALATINE OF CHESTER CONCERNING EPISCOPACY To the High and Honourable Court of Parliament The Nobilitie Knights Gentry Ministers Freeholders and Inhabitants of the County Palatine of Chester whose names are subscribed in the severall Schedules hereunto annexed Humbly shew THat whereas divers Petitions have lately beene carryed about this Countie against the present forme of Church government and the hands of many persons of ordinary quality sollicited to the same with pretence to be presented to this Honourable Assembly which wee conceiving not so much to ayme at reformation as absolute innovation of government and such as must give a great advantage to the adversaries of our Religion wee held it our dutie to disavow them all And humbly pray that wee incurre no miscensure if any such clamours have without our privitie assum'd the name of the County Wee as others are sensible of the common grievances of the Kingdome and have just cause to rejoyce at and acknowledge with thankfulnesse the pious care which is already taken for the suppressing of the growth of Popery the better supply of able Ministers and the remooving of all innovation and wee doubt not but in your great Wisdomes you will regulate the rigour of Ecclesiasticall Courts to suit with the temper of our Lawes and the nature of free-men Yet when we consider that Bishops were instituted in the time of the Apostles That they were the great lights of the Church in all the first generall Counsells That so many of them sowed the seeds of Religion in their bloods and rescued Christianitie from utter extirpation in the primitive Heathen persecutions That to them we owe the redemption of the puritie of the Gospell wee now professe from Romish corruption That many of them for the propagation of the truth became such glorious Martyrs That divers of them lately and yet living with us have beene so great assertors of our Religion against its common enemy of Rome And that their government hath been so long approved so oft established by the common and statute-lawes of this Kingdome And as yet nothing in their doctrine generally taught dissonant from the Word of God or the Articles ratified by Law In this case to call their gouernment a perpetuall vassalage an intolerable bondage And prima facie inaudita altera parte to pray the present removall of them or as in some of their Petitions to seeke the utter dissolution and ruine of their offices as Antichristian wee cannot conceive to relish of justice or charitie nor can wee joyne with them But on the contrary when wee consider the tenor of such writings as in the name of Petitions are spread amongst the common people the tenents preached publiquely in Pulpits and the contents of many printed Pamphlets swarming amongst us all of them dangerously exciting a disobedience to the established forme of government and their severall intimations of the desire of the power of the keyes and that their Congregations may execute Ecclesiasticall censures within themselves wee cannot but expresse our just feares that their desire is to introduce an absolute innovation of Presbyterall Government whereby wee who are now governed by the Canon and Civill Lawes dispensed by twenty-six Ordinaries easily responsall to Parliaments for any deviation from the rule of Law conceive wee should become exposed to the meere arbitrary government of a numerous Presbytery who together with their ruling Elders will arise to neere forty thousand Church Governours and with their adherents must needs beare so great a sway in the Common-wealth that if future inconvenience shall be found in that government wee humbly offer to consideration how these shall be reducible by Parliaments how consistent with a Monarchy and how dangerously conducible to an Anarchy which wee have just cause to pray against as fearing the consequences would prove the utter losse of learning and Lawes which must necessarily produce an extirmination of Nobilitie Gentry and order if not of Religion With what vehemency of spirit these things are prosecuted and how plausibly such popular infusions spread as incline to a paritie wee held it our dutie to represent to this Honourable Assembly And humbly pray That some such present course be taken as in your Wisdomes shall be thought fit to suppresse the future dispersing of such dangerous discontents amongst the common people Wee having great cause to feare that of all the distempers that at present threaten the wellfare of this State there is none more worthy the mature and grave consideration of this Honourable Assembly then to stop the Torrent of such spirits before they swell beyond the bounds of Government Then wee doubt not but his Majesty persevering in his gracious inclination to heare the complaints and relieve the grievances of his Subjects in frequent Parliaments it will so unite the head and the body so indissolubly cement the affections of his people to our Royall Soveraigne that without any other change of Government he can never want revenue nor wee justice Wee have presumed to annex a Coppy of a Petition or Libell dispersed and certaine positions preacht in this County Which wee conceive imply matter of dangerous consequence to the peace both of Church and State All which wee humbly submit to your great Judgements praying they may be read And shall ever pray c. Subscribed to this Petition Foure Noblemen Knight Baronets Knights and Esquires fourescore and odde Divines threescore and ten Gentlemen three hundred and odde Free-holders and other Inhabitants above six thousand All of the same County Printed for John Aston 1641.