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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
power_n	king_n	law_n	legislative_a	6,899	5	12.8932	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A37430	A Letter to a member of Parliament, shewing the necessity of regulating the press chiefly from the necessity of publick establishments in religion, from the rights and immunities of a national church, and the trust reposed in the Christian magistrate to protect and defend them : with a particular answer to the objections that of late have been advanced against it.	Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731.	1699 (1699)	Wing D837; ESTC R4998	24,778	72

word it is concluded If a National Establishment is any way defective or unfound in Faith Worship or Discipline the Magistrate is to endeavour a Reform in a Regular and Canonical Method and this I 'm confident was never declined by the Established Church of England but if nothing of this Nature can with any force of Argument or Reason be charged upon Her then the Magistrate ex officio is bound to protect and defend Her in the Purity of Her Faith and Worship and in Her just Rights and Immunities exclusive of all other Sects and Parties especially where the Publick Peace and Unity is attempted by ' em If therefore the Liberty of the Press is apparently prejudicial to Her Interests Rights and Immunities or the Purity of her Faith and Worship I cannot find how the Magistrate can fairly be supposed to discharge that Trust GOD has laid upon Him without laying a publick Restraint upon it SECT IX But further The Restraint of the Press is necessary if we consider the pernicious Influences it casts upon Religion in General as 't is the direct Inlet to Scepticism Heresie and Infidelity It 's certain the Attempts of a Licentious Press are almost infinite and inconceivable Error as well as Vice is extreamly prolifick and even as numerous as the sand of the Sea the most virulent Poison may be gilded over and Varnish and Colour may be laid on the foulest Cause and consequently the Press may be the Parent of the grossest Errors under the Mask of Innocence Zeal or Charity And truly if Experience and Matter of Fact must decide the Controversie we are convinced that the Lewdest Notions that ever entered the Heart of Man have been of late advanced from the Press And moreover the Mischiefs that are this way propagated are much more fatal than any other First Because 't is the most Effectual way of Communicating ' em A Transient Harangue or Discourse tho' never so malignant cannot be so entirely lodged in the Memory as totally to infect the Judgement and after this it passes not much beyond the Present Audience But the Press is a standing Monument and Record that not only communicates the whole Poison and leaves it to rest upon the Mind or Judgment but conveys it to Posterity Again as the Mischief is more Successfully propagated so 't is more difficulty removed The Men of Learning Judgment and Probity may be engaged in Matters of too great Importance to be at leisure to obviate the Mischiefs of every Poisonous Libel but if it happens to receive a just Confutation it's odds it either reaches not the deluded Reader or loses its just Efficacy by not presenting it self before the Infection is rivetted and the Defence of the Error become a Point of Interest or Honour But that which is more fatal than all this is an Unrestrained Press gives a kind of Imprimatur to every thing that comes from it As the Case stands the Generality of Mankind are scarce able or at leisure to detect the false Colours of an Artificial Harangue much less enter into the Merits of any particular Controversie and in these Cases where a right Judgment cannot be made every thing that appears in publick must pass for Orthodox unless it has some publick Note of Distinction fixed upon it So that the most Heterodox Positions in this Case rest upon equal Authority with the most convincing Truths till they have received a Censure from the Government either in Church or State And Since Paradoxes are capable of receiving a plausible Dress and Downright Contradictions may be advanced under a shew of Argument what fatal Consequences may not we justly dread when Religion is the subject of both The Injudicious and Illiterate Reader is exposed to the Rack and left to be divided and torn in pieces between contrary Opinions and either hangs so long between both till he commences Sceptick or Infidel and Believes Neither or at least follows the Biass of Lust and Corrupt Nature and is carried away with Declamation and Harangue the Usual Artifices of a Bad Cause and consequently is inevitably plunged into Heresie and Error But further the Mischief rises higher yet for it 's concluded An Unrestrained Press is often the most familiar with the Established Religion and never spares in bringing Disgrace on any Branch or part of it It 's the Publick Mark of Envy or Malice and consequently never wants the most Furious and Envenomed Assailant But then this is the direct Method to usher in the most fatal Consequences for it will not only sap the Foundations of an Establishment by bringing Her Authority into Contempt it being the Moving Principle of all such Attacks but it strikes at the Reputation of Religion in General and makes way for resolving the whole into Sham and Imposture For when the Government suffers the Press to attack a Received Article of the Established Religion without the least Censure or Controul an indifferent Judge must conclude that both cannot be true And because Authority does not proceed to Assert and Vindicate its own Establishment or upon a fair Estimate establish and determine for the Truth he 'll conclude there 's no real Difference between Truth and Falshood and that Religion it self is nothing but a Set of Maxims calculated according to the several Aspects and Interests of Government This is so great a Truth that I 'm highly perswaded those publick and repeated Attacks made from the Press of late Years upon the Faith Authority Worship and Discipline of this Church so many Articles of Religion having been so professedly questioned and rejected is the Great Cause of that Scepticism and Infidelity or at least Contempt of Religion which so visibly reigns in this Nation Give me leave to represent the Force of the present Arguments in a single Instance It 's already concluded that the Press has appeared in a Line of Contradiction to two of our Publick Offices of Worship the Anniversaries of that Glorious Martyr King Charles the First and the Restauration of King Charles the Second They are by Royal Authority as well as statute-Statute-Law made part of our Publick Service The whole Body of the Clergy are indispensibly bound to Celebrate them and the whole Legislative Power in a Solemn Manner joyns in the Celebration of 'em and yet we have Books published in Contradiction to 'em published in the most open and audacious Manner For the Press has not done its Duty by sending 'em into the World but they are publickly sold in the Shops and exposed to sale from our Publick Prints and Term-Catalogues Now what dismal Consequences can we imagine must attend such vile Practices Our Law-givers piously declare That By the Murder of Our late Dread Sovereign the Protestant Religion hath received the greatest Wound and Reproach and the People of England the most insupportable Shame that was possible for the Enemies of GOD and the King to bring upon us 12. Car. II. c. 30. But pardon me if I